June 28--On July 1, 2014, the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO) launched patent prosecution highway (PPH) pilot programs with the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV), the Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom (UKIPO) and the Icelandic Patent Office (IPO) respectively. The programs have duration of two years and are scheduled to expire on June 30, 2016.

To continuously provide efficient and convenient PPH services to applicants, the SIPO has reached agreement with the PRV, the UKIPO and the IPO on the extension of the pilot programs. Therefore,

The pilot program between the SIPO and the UKIPO will be extended indefinitely as from July 1, 2016. The requirements and procedures of the program will remain unchanged;

The pilot program between the SIPO and the PRV will be extended indefinitely as from July 1, 2016. The requirements and procedure of the program will remain unchanged;

The pilot program between the SIPO and the IPO will be extended to three years starting on July 1, 2016 and ending on June 30, 2019. The requirements and procedure of the program will remain unchanged.

For more information about the programs’ requirements and procedures , please visit http://www.sipo.gov.cn/ztzl/ywzt/pph/zn/ . (Translated from SIPO Website)

2016-06-28

2016-06-28