The Japan Patent Office has announced a time-restriction mitigation for the USPTO/JPO Collaborative Search Pilot program.

As a means for assisting applicants filing dual applications in the Japan and the U.S., the CSP program, which began on August 1, 2015, allows examiners in the two offices to share search and evaluation results more easily.

The CSP program previously required applicants to wait until the publication of the U.S. and Japan patent applications before applying to participate. However, from August 1, 2016, it became possible to apply for the CSP program after filing an application in the second country, rather than after the application’s publication. Accordingly, the time restriction has been shortened, which should allow applicants to obtain a patent right more quickly.

Please visit the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry website for more information on the new restriction mitigation.