The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has extended the Expanded Collaborative Search Pilot (CSP) program for two more years, lasting until October 31, 2022. This program is a joint effort with the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) to exchange search results for patent applications before any office issues a decision. The goal is to improve the quality and efficiency of patent examination by sharing these results early in the process. Applicants must meet specific requirements, such as filing complete applications and petitions, to participate in this program, which allows collaboration with multiple international patent offices.
Simple Explanation
The USPTO is working with Japan and Korea to share their homework on inventions so they can all get better grades by helping each other out before giving any scores. They decided to keep checking each other's work for two more years to make it even better.