On 1 November 2024, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced the launch of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ).
The CNIPA-IPONZ PPH pilot program commenced on 1 November 2024 and will extend for two years to 31 October 2026.
With the CNIPA-IPONZ PPH pilot program, applicants may file PPH request in either China or New Zealand based on a corresponding patent application having one or more claims that have been determined to be patentable in the other country to accelerate substantive examination of their patent application.
Since the initiation of the first PPH program in November 2011, the CNIPA has built PPH ties with patent examination authorities of 33 countries or regions, enhancing international cooperation in patent prosecution.
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