http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/newslett/2018/article_0002.html
Content Reproduced verbatim from the Website of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as permitted under their Terms of Use.
PCT Patent Prosecution Highway (PCT-PPH) Pilots
Visegrad Patent Institute joins the Global PPH pilot
On 6 January 2018, the Visegrad Patent Institute joined the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) pilot, bringing the number of Offices that have joined the pilot to 25.
It is recalled that under this pilot, it is possible for a request for accelerated processing to be made at any participating office based on work products (including, where applicable, a PCT written opinion from either the ISA or the IPEA, or an international preliminary report on patentability (IPRP) (Chapter II)), from any one of the other participating offices, provided that at least one claim has been found to be patentable by the office of earlier examination, and that any other applicable eligibility criteria are met. The pilot uses a single set of qualifying requirements and aims to simplify and improve the existing PPH network to make it more accessible to users.
For further information, including the eligibility requirements for making use of the GPPH pilot, see the PPH Portal Site at:
http://www.jpo.go.jp/ppph-portal/globalpph.htm
The PCT-PPH page of the PCT website has been updated at:
http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/filing/pct_pph.html