Patent Prosecution Highway program:

• Patent prosecution is the process of drafting, filing, and negotiating with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in order to obtain patent protection and rights for an invention.
• Patent prosecution is distinct from patent litigation, which describes legal action relating to the infringement of patents. 
• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal for the Bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Programme between the Indian Patent Office and patent offices of other interested countries.
• On a pilot basis, a Bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program has commenced between the Indian Patent Office (IPO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO).
  • With this, the patent offices of India and Japan have inked an agreement for expeditious grant of patents to Indian entities and individuals by entering into the pilot program on PPH for a period of three years.
  • Under this pilot program, Indian Patent Office may receive patent applications in certain specified technical fields only, like electrical, electronics, computer science, information technology, physics, civil, mechanical, textiles, automobiles and metallurgy while Japan Patent Office may receive applications in all fields of technology.

The PPH program will lead to benefits like:

• reduction in disposal time and pendency of patent applications.
• consistency in the quality of granted patents.
• more inbound investments by companies.