What types of “work products” can I base my PPH request on?

There are two types of “work products” that can be used when requesting participation in the PPH programme. First, you can use the latest work product in the international phase of a PCT application, such as the written opinion of the International Searching Authority (WO-ISA), the written opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority (WO-IPEA), or the international preliminary examination report (IPER). Furthermore, you can use a national work product established during the processing of a national application.

In either case, the work product(s) must

• determine one or more claims to be patentable/allowable,
• said claims must correspond with the claims filed in the application at the EPO, and
• have been established by one of the EPO’s PPH partner offices (see FAQ “Which patent offices maintain PPH programmes with the EPO?”).