Pilot patent prosecution highway program (PCT-PPH) launched by the Eurasian Patent Office

The Eurasian Patent Office has launched a pilot patent prosecution highway program (PCT-PPH). As of 1 July 2016 it has been possible to request fast-track examination of PCT regional phase applications that have received a positive Written Opinion (WO) or International Preliminary Report on Patentability (IPRP II). The fast-track examination in the regional phase in Eurasia is only available for those applications for which the following five patent offices have acted as the International Searching Authority or the International Preliminary Examining Authority:

– the European Patent Office (EPO)

– the Japan Patent Office (JPO)

– the Patent Office of the Russian Federation (Rospatent)

– the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) or

– the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The request for fast-track examination, together with a Russian translation of the WO or IPRP II, has to be filed before the first Office Action is issued. An additional requirement is that the application must contain no more than 2 independent claims, unless it relates to inventions in the field of chemistry or pharmaceuticals, and no more than 20 claims in total. If the requirements are met, the first Office Action will be issued within three months of the date the request for fast-track examination has been accepted. There are no official fees for participation in the PCT-PPH program.

The pilot PCT-PPH program will be in force for a period of one year. Currently, the Eurasian Patent Office also has an ongoing PPH program with the Japan Patent Office (JPO).

In addition to the pilot PCT-PPH program, the Eurasian Patent Office currently provides accelerated formal and substantive examination as well as accelerated publication and issuance of a patent. The details and additional official fees are indicated in the table below.

Procedure	Additional  fee, RUB
Carrying out formal examination within 5 days	20 000
Carrying out formal examination within 10 days	10 000
Carrying out substantive examination and issuance of the first Office Action within 3 months	60 000
Publication and issuance of a patent within 3 months	20 000

For more information regarding the fast-track examination in Eurasia, please contact us.