The Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI) have been implementing the Patent Prosecution Highway pilot program since April 2017. On November 9, 2021, the two Offices agreed to renew the program to extend the pilot period until November 30, 2026. The period may be further extended as necessary.

INPI stopped accepting PPH requests for 2023

The INPI now no longer accepts PPH requests because it has already accepted the maximum number for 2023 both under the normal PPH and the PCT-PPH. 

INPI now accepts more requests per IPC section

The INPI had limited the annual acceptable number of PPH requests to 150 for each IPC section, but increased the number to 250 on January 1, 2023. The total number of normal PPH requests (those from the INPI’s all PPH partner Offices including the JPO) and the total number of PCT-PPH requests it accepts annually remain at 700 and 100, respectively.

Details of JPO-INPI PPH pilot program

(1) Acceptable number of PPH requests

The INPI accepts up to 700 normal PPH requests and up to 100 PCT-PPH requests annually from the INPI’s all PPH partner Offices including the JPO. The INPI limits the acceptable number to 250 for each IPC section, and to one per applicant per week.

The JPO does not limit the number of PPH requests it will accept.

(2) Filing limitation based on first application

A PPH request can be filed with the INPI if the first application was filed with any of the INPI’s PPH partner Offices.

The JPO does not limit the filing of PPH request based on the first application.

Source: JPO