Accelerated processing of Finnish patent applications in Korea and Hungary began

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) agreements signed by the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR) with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the Hungarian Patent Office entered into force on 4 January 2010. The agreements aim to improve patent quality and allow applicants to obtain patents faster and more efficiently.

An applicant can request for accelerated processing of a patent application, examined in Finland, at another PPH office if the claims in their corresponding application at the first office have been found to be allowable. Detailed instructions on how to request accelerated processing are available at the NBPR website.

The NBPR’s PPH agreements with the KIPO and the Hungarian Patent Office start as one-year trials, after which they can be extended. The purpose of the trial programmes is to gauge the interest of applicants and determine if the programme improves quality and efficiency.

Read more about the PPH co-operation and how to file a PPH request.
Earlier announcement about the PPH co-operation with the KIPO
Earlier announcement about the PPH co-operation with the Hungarian Patent Office

Further details:

Mr Ari Hirvonen
Examiner
Email: firstname.lastname@prh.fi
Tel. +358 (0)9 6939 5726

Mr Matti Pasanen
Examiner
Email: firstname.lastname@prh.fi
Tel. +358 (0)9 6939 5843