在中新专利审查高速路（PPH）试点项目下向新西兰知识产权局（IPONZ）提出PPH请求的流程（英文）

ChinaNationalIntellectualPropertyAdministrationPatentProsecution

Highway

TheCNIPA-IPONZPatentProsecutionHighway(PPH)allowspatentapplicantstorequestexpedited

examinationwithIPONZifoneormoreclaimsinacorrespondingpatentapplicationhavebeenfoundtobeallowablebytheCNIPA.

ThispageprovidesguidelinesonhowtheCNIPA-IPONZPPHpilotwilloperateinNewZealandandhowtorequestexpeditedexaminationunderthisPPH.

Forthedurationofthepilotagreement,patentapplicantscanrequestacceleratedprocessingofanapplicationatIPONZ,basedonworkproductsforacorrespondingapplicationfromCNIPA,providingtheeligibilitycriteriaaremet.

Howtofilearequest

Beforeyoufile,checkthatyourrequestmeetstheeligibilitycriteriaforexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPHandyouhavetherequireddocuments.

TofilearequestforrequestexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPH,usetheIPONZcasemanagementfacility.

EligibilityCriteria

InorderforarequesttobeeligibleforexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPA-PPH,yourapplicationmustmeetthefollowingconditions:

1.Dates:TheapplicationtobeexaminedbyIPONZandthecorrespondingapplicationexaminedbyCNIPAmusthavethesameearliestdate(whichmaybetheprioritydateorthefilingdate).

2.Patentableclaims:AtleastoneclaimhasbeenfoundtobepatentablebyCNIPA,i.e.novel,

inventiveanduseful/industriallyapplicable.Theremustbeanexpressstatementofpatentabilityfortheseclaim(s)inaworkproductissuedbyCNIPA.

Filingrequirements

ThefollowingarefilingrequirementsforexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPH:

1)Theclaim(s)presentedforexaminationatIPONZmust“sufficientlycorrespond”tooneormoreoftheclaimsfoundpatentablebyCNIPA.

2)Arequestforexaminationhasbeenfiled.Thiscanbemadepriorto,oratthesametimeasrequestingexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPH.

3)Thefollowingdocumentsmustbeprovidedaspartofyourrequest:

a)Acopyoftheworkproduct(s)issuedbyCNIPAwhichexpresslyidentifiesthepatentableclaims;and

b)AcopyoftheclaimsthattheCNIPAexaminationhasfoundtobepatentable;and

c)Aclaimcorrespondencetablewhichsetsoutthepatentableclaim(s)oftheCNIPAapplicationandidentifiesthe"sufficientlycorresponding"claim(s)tobeexaminedbyIPONZ.

Ininstanceswheretheclaimstobeexaminedareidenticaltothosefoundpatentable,astatementtothiseffectisalsoacceptable.

d)Acompletespecificationdocumentwhichincludestheclaimswhich“sufficientlycorrespond”tothosefoundpatentablebyCNIPA.

AnEnglishlanguagecopyofalldocumentsmustbeprovided.

Optionaldocuments

Youcanalsoprovideadditionaldocumentswithyourrequest,suchasacoverletter,documentscitedagainstthecorrespondingapplication,non-patentliteraturecitedbyCNIPA,orothermaterialsthatrelatetotherequest.

IPONZmayalsorequestcopiesofcitationsraisedagainsttheearlierapplicationiftheyarenotavailableviaregulardatabasesorsearchfiles,ortranslationsthereof.

Themeaningof‘sufficientlycorrespond’

AllclaimstobeexaminedbyIPONZmust“sufficientlycorrespond”totheclaim(s)oftheCNIPAapplication.Claimsareconsideredto‘sufficientlycorrespond’wheretheclaimstobeexaminedbyIPONZareofthesameorsimilarscopeastheclaimsindicatedaspatentablebyCNIPA,ortheclaimsarenarrowerinscopethantheclaimsindicatedaspatentable.

Claim(s)tobeexaminedbyIPONZcannotbebroaderinscopethanthosefoundpatentablebytheCNIPA.

IPONZwillalsoaccountfortheeffectsofanytranslationsintotheEnglishlanguageiftheoriginalclaimswerenotinEnglish.

Differentclaimcategories

Claim(s)whichintroduceanew/differentcategoryofclaimstothoseclaimsdeterminedtobepatentablearenotconsideredtosufficientlycorrespond.

Forexample,iftheCNIPAapplicationcontainsonlyclaimstoanarticle,thenclaimstoamethodofmakingthearticlewillnotsufficientlycorrespond.

Amendingtoclaimswhichsufficientlycorrespond

Youcanamendyourspecificationtoclaimswhichsufficientlycorrespondpriorto,oratthetimeof,submittingyourrequestforexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPH.

Avoluntaryamendmentfeewillapplyifyoumakeanyamendmentsafterrequestingexamination.

Whatisavalidworkproduct?

AworkproductisaformalreportoractionissuedbytheCNIPA.

ArequestundertheCNIPAPPHrequiresareportoractionissuedbyCNIPAthatexpresslyidentifiesthepatentableclaim(s).Apatentableclaimmustbeassessedasnovel,inventiveanduseful/capableofindustrialapplicability.

ThiscanbeanyreportoractionissuedbytheCNIPA,aslongasthepatentableclaimsareclearlyidentified.AWrittenOpinionorInternationalPreliminaryReportonPatentabilityissuedbytheCNIPAasthe

InternationalSearchAuthorityorInternationalExaminationAuthorityisavalidworkproduct.

Multipleworkproductscanalsobeusedinasinglerequest,providedtheysharethesameearliestdate.

RelevantdatesforexaminationinNewZealand

Requestingexaminationofanapplicationpriortoexaminationeligibility

NationalphaseentryapplicationsunderthePatentCooperationTreaty(alsoknownas‘Treaty’applications)areonlyeligibleforexaminationifatleast31monthshavepassedsincetheearliestprioritydate.

ThisexaminationeligibilityrequirementappliesevenifyourequestustoexpeditetheexaminationofyourTreatyapplicationundertheCNIPAPPH.

IfyouintendforustoexamineyourTreatyapplicationaheadofitseligibilitydate,youmustindicatethisaspartofyourCNIPAPPHrequest.

ThisrequestisseparatetotherequestforexpediatedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPH.

Lateentryintonationalphaserequiresrestoration

Ifa

Treatyapplication

isfiledatIPONZlaterthanthe31-monthnationalphaseentrydeadline,arequestforexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPHcannotbemadeatthesametime.

YourapplicationwillneedtoberestoredbeforerequestingPPH.Pleaseseethe

restorationguidelines

formoreinformation.

Lateconventionclaims

Ifa

conventionapplication

isfiledatIPONZlaterthanthe12monthconventionperiod,youcanstillmakearequestforexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPHatthetimeoffiling.

However,thisrequestwillnotbeactioneduntiltheapplicanthassatisfiedtheCommissionerthattheconventionapplicationisentitledtotheclaimedprioritydate.

Ifaconventionclaimisnotfoundtobeentitledtotheclaimedprioritydate,thentherequestforexpedited

examinationundertheCNIPAPPHwillberefusedastheNewZealandapplicationandtheCNIPAapplicationwouldnolongersharethesameearliestpriorityorfilingdates.

Processingofrequestsandtimelines

OnceIPONZreceivesarequestforexpeditedexaminationundertheCNIPAPPH,wewillassesstherequesttodetermine:

1.Ifyourapplicationmeetstheeligibilityrequirements

2.Iftherequestmeetsthefilingrequirements,includingtherequireddocuments

Ifyourapplicationdoesnotmeettheeligibilityrequirements,IPONZwillrefusetherequest.

Ifyourapplicationiseligible,butdoesnotmeetthefilingrequirements,youwillbegivenanopportunityto

remedyanyissueswiththerequest.Youmustsubmityourresponseand/ora