/ The Pilot Program of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) between Chile and the European Patent Office begins
January 18, 2024Laura Hernandez Bethermyt
Associate
The National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI) announced that, together with the European Patent Office (EPO), they launched the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPT) Pilot Program, known as the fast track for obtaining patents. The initiative will have an initial period of three years, after the signing of the cooperation agreement between both offices.
The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is a program that accelerates the examination of patent applications. A patent application, the claims of which have been declared patentable by a previous office, can be subjected to accelerated examination in a subsequent office through a simple procedure at the request of the applicant. This allows applicants to obtain their industrial property rights more quickly compared to regular processing.
The pilot program is based on the optimization of the accelerated examination procedures for patent applications for inventions and utility models existing in both institutions. This will allow users of the system to benefit from the favorable search and examination work carried out by the other office, speeding up the process of obtaining patents on a reciprocal basis.
The application in INAPI must have been published in the Official Gazette, and the 45-day period provided for in the Chilean Industrial Property Law must have concluded. Furthermore, the application must not have started substantive examination at the EPO for which participation in the PPH pilot program is requested.
It is expected that this pilot program will allow significant progress to facilitate and expedite the process of obtaining patents between INAPI and EPO. If Chile’s incorporation into the PPH is approved, the process between the offices would go through the same stages in a preferential manner. This will mean a more efficient route in obtaining patents.
For more information, INAPI has provided a complete guide, available on its website.