CNIPA (formerly known as SIPO) and USPTO had been exchanging electronic priority documents to facilitate swift handling of priority request for patent applications since October 8, 2014. However, due to security policy imposed by the US government, this electronic exchange, operated on a secure network managed and maintained by US, has to be ceased as the supporting network will be disconnected. For applications filed after September 1, 2018 (inclusive), CNIPA and USPTO will no longer obtain the electronic priority documents through bilateral exchange channel. However, CNIPA and USPTO have decided to switch to the DAS platform provided by WIPO to obtain electronic priority documents issued by each other. For applications filed after September 1, 2018 (inclusive), applicants shall submit, store and enquire priority documents with WIPO DAS in accordance with their requirements, which can be found at this link.
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