Following its Action Plan for 2018, the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO) continues expanding international cooperation through Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) agreements. The new agreement was signed with the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) during the 10th meeting of the United Kingdom-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO).
Through the PPH agreement, a patent application already granted in Brazil may have its examination fast-tracked in UK (and vice-versa), which can reduce the examination backlog from about ten years to nine months. The PPH between the BPTO and UKIPO will enter into force in the third quarter of 2018 and will admit up to 100 patent applications per year. The offices will decide the technological fields covered by this agreement soon.
Currently, Brazil has PPH projects with Japan, United States, China, the European Patent Office and the Latin American countries that are part of the project called Prosur.
The full press statement is available (in Portuguese) at www.inpi.gov.br/noticias/brasil-e-reino-unido-assinam-acordo-para-acelerar-exame-de-patentes