The Brazilian PTO implements PPH Program with the UKIPO

The BPTO published on July 24, 2018, the Rule #222/2018 implementing the PPH Pilot program with the UKIPO, that intends to speed up the examination of pending Brazilian applications with an application from the same nature allowed by the UKIPO.

The Program will accept applications belonging to patent families whose earliest application has been filed at the BPTO or the UKIPO or, in case of a PCT application, the BPTO or UKIPO was the receiving office.

The program will accept application from the technical field of “Biotechnology”, ” Machinery and electrical devices, energy “, “Audiovisual Technology”, “Telecommunications”, “Digital Communication”, “Basic Communication Processes” , “Computer Technology”, “IT Methods for Management” and “Semiconductors”. The application must be classified under the IPC codes list to be accepted, with the exception of drug-related applications which are not allowed in this program .

The table below summarizes the International Patent Classifications accepted by this program:

TECHNICAL AREA IPC CODE
Biotechnology (C07G, C07K, C12M, C12N, C12P, C12Q, C12R, C12S) except A61K
Machinery and electrical devices, energy F21#, H01B, H01C, H01F, H01G, H01H, H01J, H01K, H01M, H01R, H01T, H02#, H05B, H05C, H05F, H99Z
Audiovisual Technology G09F, G09G, G11B, H04N-003, H04N-005, H04N-009, H04N-013, H04N-015, H04N-017, H04R, H04S, H05K
Telecommunications G08C, H01P, H01Q, H04B, H04H, H04J, H04K, H04M, H04N-001, H04N-007, H04N-011, H04Q
Digital Communication H04L
Basic Communication Processes H03#
Computer Technology (G06# except G06Q), G11C, G10L
Information Technolgy Methods for Management G06Q
Semiconductors H01L


To be accepted on the BPTO-UKIPO PPH Pilot Program, the application must:

i) Have been filed for more than 18 months or published by the WIPO (when applicable);
ii) Have the corresponding technical exam duly paid; (in case of divided patent applications, they must request priority procedure to all of them);

The participation of the application in the BPTO-UKIPO PPH Pilot Program shall be requested by any or all the applicants.

The BPTO-UKIPO PPH Pilot Program starts on August 01, 2018 and will receive applications up to July 31, 2020. Each applicant can only file one patent application per month, except during the last month of the project, when there will be no limit of number of applications for applicant. The project is limited to 100 applications accepted into the BPTO-UKIPO PPH program per year (limit of 200 accepted applications during the entire program).

Amongst other documents requested by Rule #222/2018, the applicant must submit with the application, documents proving that the application meets the requirements; a table including the correspondences between the BR application claims and the UK allowed claims and a copy of non-patentary prior art documents.

The BPTO will evaluate the applications according to its request date, and applications that do not meet the requirements will either be given the opportunity to correct any irregularity, case in which the BPTO will issue an office action which must be replied to within 60 days, or be denied participation in the PPH Pilot Program, case in which it will return to the regular line of examination.

The original Portuguese version of Rule #222/2018 is available here.

BPTO and DKPTO signed an agreement to establish a Pilot Prosecution Highway (PPH)

Representatives of the BPTO and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO) signed a cooperation agreement on Thursday (12) to establish a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot project.

Through PPH, Brazilians will be able to use the result of the examination of the patent application by the BPTO to accelerate the analysis in Denmark and vice versa. In this pilot phase, up to 100 patent applications per year in each country will be accepted by the PPH. The agreement will be valid for two years, covering the enrollment of 200 applications in the program in each office.

In the PPH pilot, the BPTO will only accept applications for patents related to mechanical engineering, lighting, heating, weapons and explosion, excluding any applications in the pharmaceutical segment. The DKPTO will accept patent applications from any technological field.

In addition, the BPTO will limit the participation of one applicant for application per month, except in the last month of the project.

Brazil is the first South American country with which the DKPTO signs this kind of cooperation agreement.

*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s webpage. The original publication (In Portuguese) can be found here

The Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development announces a new BPTO

The Brazilian Federal Government is modernizing the Brazilian Industrial Property System. In collaboration with national and foreign partners, the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services and the Brazilian Industrial Development Agency (ABDI) have implemented a series of measures to become more agile and efficient in the process of analysis and grant of patents by the Brazilian Patents and Trademarks Office (BPTO). In addition to investments in infrastructure, the government will create a simplified system for patents acceptance. The expectation is to attend about 204 thousand patent applications throughout the year 2018, significantly reducing the backlog of the institution.

In the last three years, the BPTO’s productivity has grown considerably, reaching record levels. In 2017, the institute closed the year with more decisions than applications reducing the backlog of patents (7.6%), trademarks (14.9%) and industrial designs (26%).

This January, the ABDI and the BPTO signed a Cooperation Agreement to reformulate the IT infrastructure and processes to accelerate examination. The agency’s investment was over US$ 10 million.

In addition, the Prosperity Fund of the British Government has also invested in the BPTO, ensuring convergence with international practices. In addition to these Initiatives, a greater number Patent Prosecution Highway (PPHs) – recently signed with the United States, European Union, China, Japan and Prosul (Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay). An agreement is also being negotiated with Denmark.

* translated and adapted from ABDI’s official webpage. You can check the original publication (in Portuguese) here

BPTO and UKIPO signed an agreement to establish a Pilot Prosecution Highway (PPH)

During the 10th meeting of the UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) held in London, representatives of the Brazilian PTO and the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) have signed an agreement that may accelerate the analysis of patent applications. The agreement includes a pilot project of bilateral Patent Prosecution Highways (PPH). The programme, which will commence in the third quarter of 2018, builds on work initiated under the UK-Brazil Memorandum of Understanding on IP. It will support UK and Brazilian businesses via prioritized examination of patents already granted by one of the offices.

On average, the deadline is reduced from about 10 years (complete procedure) to nine months (time until the examination after entering the PPH). According to the Minister of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services, “patents granted with agility are essential to stimulate innovation and competitiveness of companies, including those who intend to invest in the foreign market. They also contribute to attracting investments to Brazil. “

The BPTO estimates that up to 100 patent applications per year may be included in the project. The technological fields will still be defined by the two institutes. Currently, Brazil has PPH projects with the United States, Japan, China, the European Patent Office and the Latin American countries (Prosur).

*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s official webpage. You can check the official publication here

BRICS countries sign joint declaration on cooperation in Intellectual Property

Representatives from South Africa, Brazil, China, India and Russia signed a joint statement reaffirming cooperation among the countries in the field of Intellectual Property during the 10th Meeting of BRICS Heads of Intellectual Property Offices, held in Chengdu, China.
According to the joint declaration, signed on March 26, the main goals of this cooperation are: to promote the development of IP in the five countries; provide better services for users and the general public; and strengthen the participation of BRICS in the development of the global IP system.
In this context, the document addresses topics such as the exchange of experiences on IP legislation; public awareness of the importance of IP so that it is increasingly used, especially by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises; the encouragement of the training of examiners in the area of IP; strengthening the dissemination of IP information; and the cooperation of the BRICS in international forums.
*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s official webpage. You can check the official publication (in Portuguese) here

BPTO and UKIPO launch Lambert Toolkit

The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO) and the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) launched during a workshop at the Federal University of Mina Gerais, the Lambert Toolkit, that contains samples of contracts for technology transfer in Brazil.
The Lambert Toolkit is an instrument created by the British government to facilitate cooperation agreements for development and technology transfer between universities and companies. The initiative also aims to reduce time, money and effort required to secure these agreements and provide examples of best practice.
The kits, which have been translated and adapted to the Brazilian legislation, are included in a cooperation agreement signed between the BPTO and UKIPO.
The Lambert Toolkit will be available soon (in Portuguese) at the British Government website https://www.gov.uk/.
*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s official webpage. You can check the official publication (in Portuguese) here