On January 1, 2016, a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program began between the Peruvian National Institute for the Defence of Competition and Intellectual Property Protection (INDECOPI) and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM). The program will initially run for two years, and will be automatically renewed for two-year periods.
According to the PPH Program, patent applicants with claims that have been determined to be allowable/patentable by either INDECOPI or OEPM, may request accelerated examination of the equivalent applications pending before the other office.
The program allows the exchange of information between offices, decreased duplication of work and accelerated granting procedures that ultimately enable a higher quality and faster service to patent applicants.
The OEPM has also signed PPH agreements with the Mexican and Colombian PTOs, running since 2011 and 2013 respectively.
Source: http://www.oepm.es
Originally published February 9, 2016.
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