The Canadian Intellectual Property Office announced yesterday that it will commence a PCT-PPH pilot agreement with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This pilot agreement ends January 30, 2015.
The link to the announcement is: http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr03620.html
As discussed in a previous Canadian Intellectual Property blog, the PPH (patent prosecution highway) allows an Applicant, who is in receipt of a decision from one Patent Office that at least one claim in a patent application is patentable, may request that the other Patent Office fast-track examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications. The PCT-PPH program allows for fast-tracked examination based on the examination of the application at the international stage.
By: Kay Palmer