What is the Mottainai program in the Patent Prosecution Highway?
The Mottainai program is an enhancement to the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) that allows for more flexible use of PPH work products. According to MPEP 708.02(c):
Under the ‘Mottainai’ program, any Office of Earlier Examination (OEE) PPH work product, regardless of its chronological position within the family, can be used to make the PPH request in the Office of Later Examination (OLE), as long as the OEE application is a priority or benefit application to the OLE application.
This program allows applicants to use positive examination results from any related application, not just the priority application, potentially speeding up the examination process in multiple jurisdictions.
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