EPO and Chinese IP Office Enhance their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
By José Santacroce. Partner and Head of Patent Department.
At their annual meeting in Suzhou on 12 November 2019, EPO President António Campinos and the Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Shen Changyu, agreed to enhance their bilateral co-operation in the framework of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The aim is to give patent applicants filing an international patent application in English at the CNIPA as Receiving Office the choice to opt for the EPO as their International Searching Authority (ISA).
It is expected that this new option will be offered in the course of next year, and be implemented as a two-year pilot programme.
CNIPA Commissioner Dr. Shen Changyu said: “The EPO and CNIPA are comprehensive strategic partners. For more than 30 years, the two offices have maintained a long-term close co-operative relationship. The fruitful cooperation results greatly benefited users and the public both in Europe and China. The two offices reached consensus on the designation of EPO as an ISA of the PCT international patent application in English filed at the CNIPA as Receiving Office. It will further benefit PCT applicants in China and even around the world. It is also a solid …
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PTO established as PCT ISA/IPEA
By Marta Garcia
Since October 2014, the Chilean National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI) has been working as a competent International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) for patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
The following 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries have designated the INAPI as PCT ISA/IPEA: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador,Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.
Since January 1, 2018, INAPI can also issue international search reports and international preliminary patentability reports both in Spanish and English, thus facilitating the designation of this office as PCT ISA/IPEA by Caribbean countries – such as Trinidad and Tobago – where English is the official language.
During 2017, 262 applicants –51% of which were non-Chilean applicants –designated the INAPI as ISA.This marks an increase of 19% over 2016, and 44% over 2015. Almost half of the patent applications designating INAPI as ISA since 2014 were in the mechanical field.
In its role as IPEA, INAPI received 19 patent applications in 2017 to perform an international preliminary patentability report, compared to the six applications received in 2016.
In its role as PCT Receiving Office (RO), during 2017 …
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