Following a joint decision by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the European Patent Office (EPO), the CNIPA-EPO Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Program was launched on August 1, 2026.

Following the launch of the CNIPA-EPO PPH Pilot Program, applicants from both sides may file PPH requests with either CNIPA or the EPO in accordance with the procedures for filing PPH requests under the pilot program.

PPH is a fast-track patent examination procedure established between patent offices of different countries or regions, enabling these offices to accelerate the examination process through work sharing. Since the launch of its first PPH pilot program in November 2011, CNIPA has established PPH cooperation mechanisms with patent offices in 38 countries or regions, providing effective support for Chinese applicants seeking faster acquisition of patent rights for their overseas applications.(Translated from CNIPA Website Chinese Version)