The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is participating in a one-year patent prosecution highway pilot program with the Russian Patent Office.  The pilot program will last for one year beginning on September 1, 2010.  Under the Patent Prosecution Highway agreement, an applicant receiving a favorable ruling from one nation’s patent office on at least one claim in an application can request and generally obtain fast-track examination in the other corresponding country.  The Patent Prosecution Highway can be an efficient way in which an applicant can obtain patent protection in additional countries after first receiving a patent in a first country.  Click here for more information on the pilot program.