The President of the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO), Mr. Luiz Otávio Pimentel, and the President of the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), Mr. Yoshinori Komiya, signed on March 16, 2017 in São Paulo, Brazil, a Joint Undertaking to formalize a Pilot-Project for a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) between Brazil and Japan. The document was signed during a conference about Intellectual Property cooperation between the two countries.

Through the PPH, Brazilian patent applicants will be able to use the examination results of their patent applications in order to expedite the analysis in Japan and, in the same way, Japanese patent applicants will be able to use the examination results of their patent applications in order to expedite the analysis in Brazil. During the pilot phase, which will start on April 1, 2017 and will extend for a period of two years, a maximum of 200 patent applications will be accepted via PPH between the two countries.

In the pilot PPH, the BPTO will accept patent applications only related to Information Technology – a dynamic area which requires speedy analysis. On the other hand, Japan will accept patent applications in all fields.

The International Patent Classifications (IPC) accepted by PPH Pilot Program will be soon announced, together with the Resolution which will regulate the Pilot Program in the BPTO.

Source: Bhering Advogados

 

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