The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is a program that lets an invention found patentable by one country's patent office be examined faster, with priority, at another country's patent office through a simple request.
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) have operated the Japan–Korea PPH since April 2007. If your claims were first found allowable in Korea, you can fast-track your Japanese application; if they were first found allowable in Japan, you can fast-track your Korean application.
The Japan–Korea PPH at a Glance
| What it is | A program that uses the results of the office that examined first (office of earlier examination) to obtain accelerated examination at the other office (office of later examination) |
|---|---|
| Who can use it | Applicants who filed the same invention in Japan and Korea (applications linked by a priority claim or similar) |
| Key condition | At least one claim found allowable by the first office, with the claims at the second office corresponding to it |
| Benefit | The first examination result arrives much sooner than under normal examination |
| Official fees | No fee for the PPH request itself at the JPO (confirmed case by case for Korea) |
PPH Requirements
Detailed requirements differ slightly by office and by PPH type (normal PPH, PCT-PPH and GPPH). We check eligibility case by case.
Documents to Submit
- PPH request (request for accelerated examination)
- Copies and translations of the claims found allowable by the first office
- Copies and translations of the first office's examination notices
- Claim correspondence table (showing how the claims of the two applications correspond)
- Documents cited in the first office's examination
Documents that the office can access online may sometimes be omitted.
How to Apply
Examination Timeline
Under normal examination, it often takes close to a year from the request for examination to the first examination result. With the PPH, the first result often arrives within a few months of the request, bringing the date of grant significantly forward.
Actual timelines vary by office and technical field, so we advise you based on the latest statistics published by the patent offices.
Benefits of the PPH
Types of PPH
Recent Developments
Frequently Asked Questions
What does PPH stand for?
It stands for Patent Prosecution Highway. It is a program that lets an invention found patentable by one patent office be examined faster, with priority, at another patent office.
Can I use a Korean result to fast-track my Japanese application?
Yes. If KIPO has found at least one claim allowable and your Japanese application is linked to that Korean application by a priority claim or similar, you can request the PPH at the JPO. You can also use a Japanese result to fast-track a Korean application.
Are there any fees?
The JPO charges no official fee for the PPH request itself. Attorney fees for translations, the claim correspondence table and other work vary by case, and we will explain them during a consultation.
Does using the PPH guarantee a patent?
No. The PPH speeds up examination. The office where you file the request examines the application independently and may still issue a notice of reasons for refusal. However, because it refers to the first office's findings, examination tends to proceed efficiently.
Can I request the PPH after examination has begun?
As a rule, you must file the request before examination starts at that office. We recommend planning the timing of the request in line with your filing schedule.
We will check free of charge whether your application can use the PPH.
Free Consultation & Booking[Sources] 経済産業省 特許庁 · 特許審査ハイウェイ(PPH) · Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO)