Patents
International
UK and US synchronise patent prosecution process
Patent offices in the UK and the US have agreed to recognise each other's patent examination reports under a new scheme which is being trialled in both countries. The scheme aims to streamline the process of obtaining a patent in the countries by allowing a patent holder in one country to receive accelerated treatment from the patent office in the other country. The so-called 'Patent Prosecution Highway' will help to 'efficiently and effectively safeguard inventors' intellectual property and help to stimulate innovation on a national and international scale' according to Lord Triesman, the UK parliamentary under secretary of state for intellectual property. The trial is set to run for a year to assess the agreement's effectiveness.
