Commencement Of Patent Prosecution Highway ("PPH") Pilot Program Between MyIPO And USPTO

On 2 March 2023, the PPH Pilot Program between the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia ("MyIPO") and the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") commenced. This Pilot Program will run for a trial period of three years, up to 1 March 2026. Both patent offices are at liberty, upon mutual agreement, to extend the program beyond the three years, or terminate the program before the end of three years.

The PPH Program

The PPH Program is a collaborative arrangement between national patent offices with the primary aim of expediting the examination of a patent application. Under the Program, a patent applicant may request one PPH-participating patent office ("second patent office") for the accelerated examination of an application ("the second application") based on the favourable examination results of a corresponding application ("the first application") filed at another participating patent office ("first patent office").