On 1 January 2021 Ordinance 404 came into force, establishing Phase II of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Programme in Brazil. Phase II was published by the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BRPTO) in the last week of 2020 and modifies the limits and requirements for requesting participation in the PPH Programme, which are detailed below. With this new phase of the PPH Programme, the previous Resolution 252 (establishing Phase I) has been revoked.
PPH Programme
The PPH Programme allows the examination of a patent application to be expedited in Brazil whenever a corresponding patent has been granted in one of the countries participating in the programme, upon the applicant s request.
From: Canadian Intellectual Property Office
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) have announced that the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program between the 2 offices will become permanent on January 6, 2021.
The offices have agreed to extend the agreement, following the completion of a pilot program that started in January 2015.
The PPH enables applicants filing a patent at either CIPO or the EPO to have their application processed faster at the other office. This helps increase the efficiency and quality of the patent-granting process by enabling the offices to benefit from each other’s work.
Since its launch, the PPH has generated over 1,400 requests at CIPO (as of March 31, 2020) and over 200 requests at the EPO (as of September 30, 2020).
Those who qualify for “Small Entity Status” at the USPTO enjoy a
fifty-percent reduction for a variety of fees, including the basic filing fee, search fee, and examination fee. However, it should be noted that certain fees are not reduced, such as international application fees.
Individuals, small business concerns, and non-profit organizations may all qualify for small entity status, regardless of the country in which they are located. Small business concerns are those who have fewer than 500 employees and affiliates, and also have not assigned, granted, conveyed, or licensed any rights in the relevant invention to those who would not qualify as a small entity. Additionally, universities and other institutions of higher education qualify as nonprofits for purposes of small entity status.
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