ARIPO Joins Global Patent Prosecution Highway

CIPO Notices and Updates

Published January 6th, 2026

Detected March 21st, 2026

Summary

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) announced that the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) has joined the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH). This initiative allows for accelerated examination of patent applications filed in both CIPO and ARIPO, provided certain criteria are met.

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What changed

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has announced that the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) officially joined the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) on January 6, 2026. This development means that patent applications filed with CIPO can now be eligible for accelerated examination at ARIPO if they have been deemed allowable by CIPO, and vice versa. This program aims to expedite the patent process for applicants who file in both jurisdictions.

This change is expected to result in significant time and cost savings for patent applicants. CIPO has a performance target of providing a first office action on PPH requests within seven months. The notice provides a link to CIPO's PPH page for more information on how to submit a request and an email address for inquiries.

What to do next

Review CIPO's PPH page for eligibility criteria and submission procedures.
Consider utilizing the PPH program for corresponding patent applications filed at CIPO and ARIPO.

Source document (simplified)

ARIPO joins the Global Patent Prosecution Highway

January 19, 2026

– Gatineau, Quebec

January 6, 2026

, the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) joined the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH).

Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) requests made before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) will now be eligible for participation based on the earlier regional search and examination work done by ARIPO, and PPH requests made before ARIPO will be eligible based on the earlier national or international (Patent Cooperation Treaty - PCT) search and examination work done by CIPO.

This will enable applicants who file a patent application at both CIPO and ARIPO to have their application processed faster at the second office when certain criteria are met. For example:

If your application is first deemed allowable at CIPO, you can then ask for accelerated examination on your corresponding application at ARIPO.
If your application is first deemed allowable at ARIPO, you can then ask for accelerated examination on your corresponding application at CIPO. CIPO's performance target for all PPH requests is to provide a first office action (allowance, conditional notice of allowance, first report or examiner initiated interview) within 7 months of a compliant advanced examination request under the provisions of the PPH.

CIPO has noted that approximately 28% of PPH patent applications based on national work products and 17% of PPH patent applications based on international (PCT) work products are allowed without an examination report, which is significantly higher than for non-PPH national patent applications (approximately 5%). This represents a savings of time, cost and effort for both CIPO and our clients.

Consult CIPO's PPH page for more information, including how to submit a request. If you have any questions, email our PPH coordinator at cipopbpph-opicatdbdb@ised-isde.gc.ca.