Sweden participated in the EPC and PCT co-operations from their inception in the 1970s. The PRV was appointed International Search Authority and International Preliminary Examination Authority under the PCT from its entry into force in 1978. It has recently developed this role by concluding PCT Patent Prosecution Highway (PCT-PPH) agreements with the Japan Patent Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Applications benefiting from the PCT-PPH programme are fast-tracked ahead of their normal examination date.