67% of WHIPgroup’s PPH Cases Allowed Without Office Action

February, 23rd, 2017

Categories: Blog, News Tags: patent, USPTO, whipgroup

WHIPgroup files a large number of cases using the patent prosecution highway (PPH), which accelerates prosecution by allowing the USPTO to consider another patent office’s written opinion. WHIPgroup often uses this procedure for foreign clients, since a U.S. application can benefit from a positive opinion in a corresponding foreign national or PCT case. Overall, 67% of WHIPgroup’s PPH cases have been allowed without an Office Action. Another 5% of cases were found to have allowable subject matter in the first Office Action. Final disposition of PPH cases, from filing of the request to obtaining a granted patent, is typically less than a year. Accordingly, leveraging this program results in drastically lowered prosecution costs for WHIPgroup clients.