Number of GPPH Pilot Program Participants Increased

09.01.2026 | 09:41

On 6 January 2026, the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) joined the pilot program of the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH). As a result, the program now includes 29 participating offices.

The objective of the GPPH program is to accelerate the examination of patent applications. Within the framework of the program, participating patent offices may, at the request of the applicant, make use of examination results already issued by other offices participating in the program for the same application and process the application under an accelerated procedure.

The aim of the program is to reduce the time required for patent examination and to enhance the quality of examination. More information is available on the Global PPH website (PPH Portal - Global PPH).

The Estonian Patent Office joined the GPPH program on 6 July 2015.