TIPO-SPTO MOU on PPH Pilot Signed on September 20

Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) is launching a PPH pilot program with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) on October 1, 2013.

Following the PPH programs with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO), on September 20, TIPO Director General Ms. Wang Mei-hua and SPTO Director General Ms. Patricia Garcia-Escudero Márquez jointly signed a memorandum of understanding on PPH (Patent Prosecution Highway) cooperation that would allow both offices to speed up patent examination.

PPH Mottainai is an enhanced version of the general PPH programs. Under this new program, if one of the signing parties has first issued an examination result, the applicant may apply for PPH examination with another party, whether or not such result has been issued by OFF. For instance, an applicant who has first filed a patent application with TIPO (OFF) and then with SPTO (OSF) in respect of the same creation may apply for PPH with TIPO if the examination result has first been issued by SPTO. This procedure does not apply to the general PPH program, however. Therefore, the signing of the TIPO-SPTO MOU on PPH is a major milestone in international cooperation on bilateral examination. TIPO hopes that this can spur further cooperation with other major patent offices.

The TIPO-SPTO PPH Pilot Program will undergo a two-year trial period starting October 1, 2013 and be jointly evaluated after its expiration. 

(Source: Taiwan Intellectual Propert Office)