Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is an initiative that provides a means of prioritizing examination of patent applications, under certain conditions, where an indication of patentable subject matter, or an indication of novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability (in the international phase), has been made.

Where these and all other requirements are met, the applicant can make a request to CIPO, or to one of CIPO's PPH partner offices, for accelerated examination of a corresponding application. Canadian patent applications will be examined in accordance with the Canadian Patent Act and Patent Rules and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office's (CIPO) Patent Office Practice.

CIPO's PPH agreements

Revised request forms are now available for each of CIPO's PPH agreements. They can be accessed on the agreement's respective webpage.

• Danish Patent and Trademark Office (pilot ending September 30, 2013)
• German Patent and Trade Mark Office (pilot ending September 30, 2012)
• Japan Patent Office (pilot ending September 30, 2013)
• Korean Intellectual Property Office (pilot ending September 30, 2013)
• National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (pilot ending September 30, 2012)
• Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (pilot ending September 30, 2012)
• United States Patent and Trademark Office (indeterminate)
• United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (pilot ending January 30, 2014)

CIPO's PCT-PPH project

• PCT-PPH (CIPO ISA/IPEA) (January 31, 2011, to January 31, 2013)

Further Information

• Notice – CIPO's PPH Agreements
• Notice – CIPO's PCT-PPH Project
• Should you be on the Patent Prosecution Highway?
• Report on the PPH Pilot Program between the CIPO and the USPTO for the trial period of January 28, 2008 to January 31, 2009
• Information regarding submission of a PPH request
• PPH Portal Web Site

Any inquiries concerning the PPH may be directed to the PPH Project Manager at pph@ic.gc.ca or by calling the CIPO Client Service Center at 819-934-0544 or toll-free at 1-866-997-1936.

Client Feedback

Your feedback is important to us. In order to gauge the interest of applicants and to assess the anticipated benefits to each office, CIPO needs to hear from you. As part of our assessment of the PPH, CIPO asks that participants provide their feedback by completing the questionnaire accompanying the office correspondence related to your PPH request. For an electronic copy of the questionnaire, please contact the PPH Project Manager.

PPH Project Manager
Email: pph@ic.gc.ca
Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Place du Portage I
50 Victoria Street
Gatineau QC K1A 0C9

Fax:

819-994-1989