China and Czech Republic Extend PPH Pilot Program

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic have jointly decided to extend their Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program for three years from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028. The requirements and procedures for submitting PPH requests to both offices 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)