Article 44

EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE

Information from the EPO

Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 25 April 2022 suspending the Patent Prosecution Highway programme between the European Patent Office and the Eurasian Patent Office based on PCT and national work products

The President of the EPO, having regard to Article 10(2) of the European Patent Convention (EPC), has decided as follows:

Article 1

Suspension of the Patent Prosecution Highway programme between the EPO and the EAPO

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme between the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO), launched on 1 October 2017 and extended for an indefinite period on 1 October 2020 (OJ EPO 2020, A114), is suspended.

From the date of entry into force of this decision, the EPO will no longer grant PPH requests where such requests are based on work performed by EAPO. In addition, in pending cases where, prior to the date of entry into force, the EPO accelerated the processing of applications based on work performed by EAPO, the EPO will remove the PPH status and return those applications to the regular processing and examination queue, meaning they will no longer be treated as PPH applications at the EPO.

Article 2

Entry into force

This decision enters into force on 25 April 2022.

Done at Munich, 22 April 2022

António CAMPINOS

President