The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program – jointly launched by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Brazil’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) – entered into force today. The program will reduce patent workloads and improve patent quality in both countries.

The PPH is a cooperative framework that streamlines the patent examination process by promoting expeditious, less costly, and more effective patent protection. The program enables applicants who receive a favorable ruling on patentability from one office to request an expedited examination of that application in the other country. By leveraging work already done by other peers within the network, participating offices accelerate processing times, improve patent quality, and save time and money for the businesses that apply.

This PPH pilot program is the centerpiece of the June 2015 U.S.-Brazil Commercial Dialogue’s Joint Statement on Patent Work Sharing, signed by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade Armando Monteiro.

For additional information regarding the PPH, including how to initiate a petition and file the related paperwork, please visit the following websites:

• INPI page on PPH: http://www.inpi.gov.br/menu-servicos/patente/projeto-piloto-pph

• USPTO page on PPH: http://www.uspto.gov/patents-getting-started/international-protection/patent-prosecution-highway-pph-fast-track