The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has signed an agreement with the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and a second with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) to launch the Collaboration Search Pilot Program (CSP). The purpose of this pilot is to provide stakeholders with search results from two offices early in the examination process so the applicant can determine their next steps in patent prosecution. Once a petition has been granted by both offices, the application will be accelerated in both offices allowing for faster prosecution.
The pilot program will run for two years. The JPO Pilot began August 1, 2015 and the KIPO Pilot September 1, 2015.
For more information, please see the CSP website at http://www.uspto.gov/patents-getting-started/international-protection/collaborative-search-pilot-program-csp or email CSP@USPTO.GOV.