On March 10, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced it will no longer grant requests to participate in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) when such requests are based on work performed by Rospatent as an Office of Earlier Examination under the GPPH. The USPTO has published a Federal Register Notice formalizing this announcement.
The full text of the notice is available at the Federal Register and on the Patent Related Notices webpage. Please see the USPTO’s Patent Prosecution Highway webpage for more information.
USPTO statement on engagement with Russia, the Eurasian Patent Organization, and Belarus
Per guidance issued by the U.S. Department of State, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has terminated engagement with officials from Russia’s agency in charge of intellectual property, the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (commonly known as Rospatent), and with the Eurasian Patent Organization. The USPTO has also terminated engagement with officials from the national intellectual property office of Belarus. Like so many, we are deeply saddened by the events unfolding in Ukraine. We hope for the restoration of peace and human dignity.
Effective March 11, 2022, the USPTO will no longer grant requests to participate in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) at the USPTO when such requests are based on work performed by Rospatent as an Office of Earlier Examination under the GPPH. In addition, in pending cases in which, prior to March 11, 2022, the USPTO granted special status under the GPPH to applications based on work performed by Rospatent, the USPTO will remove that status and return those applications to the regular processing and examination queue, meaning that they will no longer be treated as GPPH applications at the USPTO.
The USPTO has advised the Japan Patent Office, which serves as the Secretariat for the GPPH, of this decision.
Please contact PPHfeedback@uspto.gov if you have any questions.
Questions from the public regarding dealings with Rospatent should be directed to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) via email at OFAC_Feedback@treasury.gov.
Additionally, applicants filing international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) are advised to exercise caution before selecting Rospatent as an International Searching Authority (ISA) or International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA). Doing so may prevent successful processing of international applications under the PCT, including the transmittal of required fees through financial institutions.
Originally published 3/4/22. Updated 3/8/22 to include the national IP office of Belarus. Updated 3/10 to include information on GPPH. Updated 3/22 to include information on OFAC and guidance for PCT applicants regarding selecting Rospatent as an ISA or IPEA.
You find the document below:
Source – USPTO: Patent Related Notices webpage