The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is a set of initiatives for
speeding up the examination process of patent applications
filed in participating patent offices.
According to the PPH, when an applicant receives a final ruling
from a first patent office (Office of First Filing –
OFF) where at least one claim is allowed, the applicant may
request fast-track examination of corresponding claims in
a corresponding patent application that is pending in a second
patent office (Office of Second Filing – OSF).
The Colombian PTO (SIC) has had PPH agreements with the United
States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) since 2012, the
Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) since 2013, the
Japan Patent Office (JPO) since 2014 and a PPH pilot program
with the South Korean Patent Office (KIPO) since February
2016. Additionally, as we reported in January 2016, the SIC
and the European Patent Office signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to implement a PPH Pilot Program.
