Patent Prosecution Highway Between USPTO and NBPR (Pilot)
The Patent Prosecution Highway in Conjunction With the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR)
Under the Patent Prosecution Highway, an applicant receiving a ruling from either the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR) or the USPTO that at least one claim in an application is patentable may request that the other office fast track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications. The Patent Prosecution Highway will leverage fast-track patent examination procedures already available in both offices to allow applicants in both countries to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently.
As of May 25, 2010, the USPTO has eliminated the fee for the petition to make special under the PPH programs.
Starting on January 29, 2012, for a period of one year ending on January 29, 2013, the USPTO and the NBPR have agreed to implement PPH 2.0 by simplifying the PPH requirements and procedures in a consolidated and user-friendly framework, while at the same time ensuring that work sharing benefits to the offices are not diminished.
Patent Prosecution Highway Requests to USPTO
Fillable Form SB/20 FI (Patent Prosecution Highway Request Form) [PDF]
Patent Prosecution Highway Requests to NBPR
How to make a request at the NBPR (published by the NBPR)
