China and Austria Extend PPH Pilot Program

According to a joint decision by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the Austrian Patent Office (ÖPA), the China–Austria Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program will be extended for another five years, from March 1, 2026, to February 28, 2031. The requirements and procedures for submitting PPH requests to both offices will remain unchanged.

PPH is a fast track linking patent examination duties of different countries or regions, allowing patent examination authorities to speed up patent examination by work sharing. Since the initiation of the first PPH pilot program in November 2011, the CNIPA has built PPH ties with 35 patent examination authorities covering 86 countries worldwide.(Source from CNIPA Website)