In today's era of increasingly fierce global intellectual property competition, the pursuit of patent authorization efficiency by enterprises has reached an unprecedented height. The rapid authorization of every patent may mean seizing the opportunity in the market, winning valuable development time and competitive advantage for the enterprise.

In this context, the Patent Examination Highway (PPH), as an accelerated examination mechanism widely used internationally, stands out as an important tool for enterprises to achieve global patent layout and seize market high ground with its wide coverage and efficient authorization capabilities.

This article will combine practical operation points and specific case analysis to systematically and deeply dissect the core logic, application standards, and implementation plans of PPH, helping intellectual property practitioners to accurately apply this mechanism and enhance the overall efficiency of enterprise patent layout.

One

PPH Core Cognition and Advantages

（1） Accelerated cooperation mechanism for sharing review results

The Patent Examination Highway (PPH) is a collaborative model for sharing examination results among patent examination agencies in different countries or regions. Specifically, when at least one claim in the patent application submitted by the applicant to the Office of First Instance (OEE) is confirmed to be patentable, the applicant can apply for accelerated examination of the corresponding patent application to the Office of Second Instance (OLE) based on the examination result, thereby achieving effective reuse of examination resources and greatly shortening the authorization period.

The core logic can be briefly summarized as follows: the applicant submits patent application A in OEE and obtains authorized claims; Next, with application A as the priority, submit the corresponding patent application A 'in OLE; finally, based on the OEE's authorized examination conclusion, submit a PPH request to OLE to accelerate the examination process of A'.

（2） Two dimensional division

1. Divided by work results

01 Conventional PPH

Mainly based on the examination results of national or regional offices, such as the examination conclusions of China, European Patent Office, etc. Its limitation is that it can only be based on the authorized conclusion of the first application acceptance office.

02 PPH MOTTAINAI

It is also based on the examination results of national or regional bureaus, but it breaks through the limitation of conventional PPH that can only reuse the results of the first application bureau. For example, the authorizable conclusion applied by Bureau B can be used for PPH requests of same family applications in Bureau C. The name originates from the Japanese phrase "avoid waste" and aims to make more efficient use of review resources.

03 PCT-PPH

Based on the results of PCT international phase work, such as written opinions on international search reports, international preliminary examination reports, etc. Its advantage lies in the fact that there is no need to wait for the conclusion of the national stage review, and it can initiate the accelerated review process earlier. The use of this type requires certain conditions: at least one claim in the international stage must have novelty, creativity, and industrial applicability, and cannot be solely based on an international search report (ISR). Corresponding written opinions must be provided.

2. Divided by cooperation network

01 Bilateral PPH

The cooperation agreement shall be signed separately by the patent offices of the two countries or regions, and the terms shall comply with the agreement of both parties. This cooperation model is relatively flexible, but its coverage is limited.

02 Global PPH (GPPH)

Launched in 2014, it is a long-term effective mechanism. As of April 2026, there are a total of 29 participating bureaus that can reuse the results of three types of PPH work across bureaus. Neither China nor the European Patent Office has joined this mechanism.

03 IP5-PPH

Jointly launched by the world's five major intellectual property offices (China, the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea), it supports cross bureau reuse of three types of work results. The mechanism has been extended until January 5, 2029.

04 PPH Extra (Enhancement Plan)

As of 2026, participating agencies include China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Austria, Finland, and Israel. These participating agencies promise an average review cycle (3 months for initial review opinions) and publicly disclose their actual processing efficiency, such as the average time required for initial review opinions in Japan being only 2.4 months.

（3） Win win situation for applicant and patent office

For the applicant:

01 Significant increase in authorization rate

The authorization rate for submitting PPH requests is generally higher than that for regular applications. Taking Denmark as an example, the PPH application authorization rate is as high as 100%, while the ordinary application rate is only 36%.

02 significantly shortened authorization cycle

The review cycle in some countries can be shortened by several years. For example, the final review opinion period for PPH applications in Peru is only 4.21 months, while for regular applications it takes 54.32 months.

03 Cost effective optimization

Due to the reduction in the number of responses to examination opinions, the applicant can reduce the cost and time investment of defense, and improve the overall economic benefits of the patent application.

For the Patent Office:

01 Reduce the workload of review

By reusing the results of prior examination, the Patent Office can reduce the workload of retrieval and examination, and improve examination efficiency.

02 Improve review quality and consistency

Sharing examination results between different patent offices can help reduce repetitive work, improve consistency and quality of examination.

Two

PPH Application Core Conditions and Special Specifications

（1） Three essential conditions

01 Date correlation

OEE and OLE applications must have the same earliest priority date or filing date. This is the basis for ensuring the correlation between applications.

02 Authorized Claims

At least one claim in the OEE application has been confirmed to have authorizability. This is the core basis for submitting PPH requests.

03 Claims fully correspond

The claims of OLE application should be within the same, similar or narrower scope as the authorized claims of OEE, and of the same type. For example, method claims cannot correspond to product claims, and expanding the scope of protection is prohibited to ensure effective reuse of examination results.

（2） Multiple criteria for determining authorizability

01 Conventional PPH/PPH MOTTAINAI

The main criteria for recognition include the authorized claims specified in official documents such as authorization notices, examination opinion notices, rejection decisions, and re examination decisions. Different countries have specific regulations on this, such as the United States recognizing patent certificates, non final rejection notices, etc; Japan, on the other hand, relies on authorization announcements and notices of reasons for refusal (which are considered authorized if no reasons for refusal are found).

02 PCT-PPH

The recognition is based on the written opinions of the international search authority, the international preliminary examination authority, and the claims that satisfy the "three qualities" (novelty, creativity, and industrial applicability) in the international preliminary examination report. The fifth overall requirement is that there should be no negative explanation in the eighth column of the written opinion on the international stage, otherwise it cannot be used for the PPH request of the Chinese bureau.

（3） Country specific requirements

01 China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)

A request for substantive review must have been submitted and entered the substantive review stage. The application must be made public and submitted electronically in XML format.

02 European Office (EPO)

The actual review has not yet started (no start date has been set), and the applicant can check the start status on the official website.

03 United States Patent Office (USPTO)

When modifying the claims after PPH approval, they must correspond to the authorized claims of OEE; Starting from 2026, there will be stricter control over the modification of claims.

04 Canadian Bureau

The application must have been made public and support multiple corrections of defects, providing the applicant with more opportunities for correction.

Three

PPH application core components and practical points

（1） File composition

01 PPH Request Letter

Official request documents that meet the format requirements of the target agency are usually prepared by foreign agents.

02 Claim Documents

Include a table of claims correspondence (clarifying the correspondence between OEE and OLE claims), OEE authorized claims and their English translations, and necessary modifications to the claims text. This part of the work is mainly undertaken by the agent and is a key link in ensuring accurate correspondence of claims.

03 Official review results

For regular PPH, a copy and translation of the OEE review comments are required; For PCT-PPH, the latest international stage work results and translations need to be provided. The process personnel are responsible for preparing and organizing this part of the documents.

04 Reference File Copy

Including copies of patent documents and non patent documents. Some bureaus can be automatically accessed, but it is recommended to prepare them completely to avoid additional costs due to corrections, which will also be the responsibility of the process personnel.

（2） Practical optimization suggestions

01 Translation Requirements

All countries accept English translations, and prioritizing English can reduce costs. Some countries support machine translation, but it is necessary to ensure the accuracy and readability of the translation.

02 File simplification

Bureaus in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and other countries can automatically access files from the OEE document system. Once the feasibility of the access is confirmed, there is no need to submit examination opinions and claims to reduce the workload of document preparation. But be prepared to deal with retrieval failures and avoid incurring additional costs.

03 Integrity principle

Even if some files can be omitted, it is still recommended to prepare a complete set of documents. This can ensure the smooth progress of the application process and avoid delays in review or rejection due to missing documents.

04 format mandatory

Starting from 2026, Chinese PPH requests will prioritize submission in XML format to avoid being corrected or rejected due to formatting issues.

Four

PPH acceleration plan development logic

（1） Case background

The core application is Chinese patent application A (granted, priority date earliest), based on which PCT international application B (no claims that meet novelty, inventiveness, and industrial applicability) and PCT international application C (no claims that meet novelty, inventiveness, and industrial applicability) have been filed. Subsequently entering the national phase, the Chinese application D has been authorized, the US application has been authorized, the European application is under examination, the Japanese application contains patentable claims in the examination opinion, and the Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Australia applications are pending acceleration. In terms of the scope of claims, Japanese application>Chinese A+D joint scope>US application.

（2） Development of the Three Kingdoms Acceleration Plan

01 Saudi Arabia application

China and Saudi Arabia have a bilateral PPH agreement that supports conventional PPH/PCT-PPH, and the earliest application was made in China, which meets the requirements; The United States and Saudi Arabia have no earliest application country restrictions and support three types of work results; Japan and Saudi Arabia require the earliest application to be made in either Saudi Arabia or Japan, which does not meet the criteria and is therefore excluded. Taking all factors into consideration, the optimal solution is to submit a PPH based on the joint authorization claims of China A+D, as its claims have a broader scope and more comprehensive coverage.

02 Korean application

China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea are all members of IP5-PPH and support three types of work outcomes. Due to the widest scope of authorized claims in Japanese applications, the optimal solution is to submit a PPH based on the authorized claims in Japanese applications.

03 Australian application

China and Australia do not have PPH cooperation, therefore the Chinese solution is excluded; Japan, the United States, and Australia are all participating countries in GPPH. Given that the scope of authorized claims in the Japanese application is superior to that in the United States, the optimal solution is to submit a PPH based on the authorized claims in the Japanese application.

Five

Summary and practical process

（1） Summary of Core Points

The core value of PPH lies in reusing examination results to achieve a global patent layout of "high authorization rate+short cycle+low cost". In practical operation, key decision points include confirming the cooperative network (bilateral or multilateral agreement), the source of authorized claims, and the correspondence of claims. At the same time, agents and process personnel need to divide labor and collaborate. Agents are responsible for analyzing and modifying claims, while process personnel are responsible for preparing and submitting documents to ensure precise coordination at all stages.

（2） Complete processing flow

The customer expresses an intention to accelerate;

Process personnel sort out the examination status of same family patents and compare the acceleration methods of the target country (including cost, effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages, etc.);

The agent analyzes the scope of protection of the claims and determines the reusable examination results;

After determining the PPH plan, it will be confirmed by the customer;

Prepare application documents and submit them to the target office;

After the approval of the authorities, the accelerated review process will be initiated.

The flexible application of the PPH mechanism relies on precise control over the cooperation network, application conditions, and corresponding claims. With the continuous deepening of global intellectual property cooperation, PPH will play an increasingly important role in optimizing patent layout and enhancing core competitiveness of enterprises, becoming an indispensable and important component of enterprise intellectual property strategy.