China and France have agreed to start a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program on June 1, 2023, according to a memorandum of understanding signed by the National Intellectual Property Administration of China (CNIPA) and the National Industrial Property Institute of France (INPI). The pilot program will last for five years until May 31, 2028.

PPH is a fast-track patent examination scheme that allows applicants to request accelerated processing of their patent applications in one office if the claims have been found patentable/allowable by another office. It also enables the patent offices to share their work products and reduce duplication of efforts.

Applicants can follow the procedures for filing a PPH request to CNIPA1 or to INPI2 under the pilot program.

Since launching its first PPH pilot in November 2011, CNIPA has established PPH cooperation with 31 patent offices in different countries or regions. PPH is one of the many worksharing initiatives among patent offices to improve the efficiency and quality of patent examination.