The Patent Prosecution Highway: Is Life in the Fast Lane Worth the Cost

Globalization has led to a rapid increase in the number of patent applications filed in the United States and abroad. In response, individual patent offices have introduced preliminary programs to share the workload and reduce redundancy, giving rise to the "patent prosecution highway." Setting grandiose visions aside, the patent prosecution highway is generally failing. This article examines the strengths and weakness of the patent prosecution highway and suggests some methods through which the highway should be navigated and used as part of a global patent strategy.