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PPH eXtra: Take the fast lane on the patent highway
The Austrian Patent Office is now part of the international PPH eXtra initiative. For patent applicants, this means more predictable and even shorter processing times.
The abbreviation PPH stands for Patent Prosecution Highway. It refers to an agreement that enables faster and more efficient processing of follow-up applications in other countries: Patent applicants who file at one of the participating offices benefit from the PPH program and request accelerated examination of their applications at the other partner offices.
From now on, there is also an express lane on this Patent Highway: the PPH eXtra initiative.
What is PPH eXtra about?
In the PPH eXtra initiative, the participating offices set targets for even faster processing of incoming PPH files. The duration of and compliance with these limits are regularly reviewed and can be publicly accessed.
Austria joined the PPH eXtra agreement on July 1, making it the fifth member country alongside China, Japan, South Korea, and the USA – and the first European country to do so.
What does this mean for Austrian patent applicants?
With the PPH eXtra program, processing times in all participating countries become not only shorter but also more predictable. This enables applicants to plan more effectively and make faster progress in the internationalization of their applications.
01. July 2025
