The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced that it will launch a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program with the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) starting on March 2. This move aligns with the USPTO's goal of promoting innovation and growth globally and will enable U.S. interests to patent their products and services in Malaysia, which is one of the leading economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region.
Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, expressed her optimism about the PPH pilot program's potential to foster a more productive partnership between MyIPO and the USPTO. The program is set to run for three years, concluding on March 1, 2026
The PPH program is a work-sharing agreement between two or more patent offices that enables an applicant to request accelerated prosecution of corresponding claims in another participating office after receiving a positive ruling on patent claims from one participating office. As a result, the applicant can receive a faster patentability decision in the second office.
The USPTO's notice of the PPH pilot program with the MyIPO is available on its website's Patent Related Notices page. The USPTO hopes that this collaboration will lead to a closer and mutually beneficial partnership between the two organizations, ultimately benefiting inventors and innovators in both countries.
