Patent Prosecution Highway between Finland and South Korea signed

During the meeting of President of the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR), Martti Enäjärvi, and Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), Jung-sik Koh, in the Permanent Mission of Finland in Geneva on 23 September 2009, the NBPR and KIPO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Patent Prosecution Highway, PPH, pilot programme which will enter into force on 4 January 2010. In attendance were also the Permanent Representatives of Finland and South Korea, Ambassador Hannu Himanen and Ambassador Sung-joo Lee.

Left to right: Development Director Juha Rekola (NBPR), Ambassador Hannu Himanen, President Martti Enäjärvi (NBPR), Ambassador Sung-joo Lee, Commissioner Jung-sik Koh (KIPO), Director Yong-sun Kim (KIPO), Deputy Director Jinyong Lee (KIPO) and First Secretary Seong-joon Park.

In a PPH examination, a patent office can make use of the work done by its counterpart, which means reduction of duplication of work. Thus PPH cooperation will lighten the burden of work in both offices, reduce processing times and improve patent quality.

Thanks to the MoU signed by the NBPR and KIPO, the time used for patent examination may shorten at best by as long as two years.

”The patent world is under reform in both Europe and elsewhere. The increasing number of patent applications pending and the shortage of examining capacity cause great problems, which lead to prolonged processing times globally. The patent world must work on how to avoid overlapping work and on intensifying co-operation, which would save applicants’ time and money, and reduce the burden on patent offices. The new collaboration with KIPO will offer new tools for our clients in this important market area”, says Director Enäjärvi from the NBPR.

President of the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR), Martti Enäjärvi, and Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), Jung-sik Koh.

An accelerated PPH process means that if an applicant's request filed with the NBPR or KIPO contains at least one acceptable claim, the applicant can request an accelerated examination from the other patent office.

The objective of the pilot programme is to gauge applicants' interest and to find out if the PPH improves quality and efficiency and if the respective offices' work load will lighten. The trial period between the NBPR and KIPO will last one year but its duration can be lengthened or shortened depending on, for example, the number of applications to be examined. Both offices will inform about any possible changes affecting the duration of the trial.

Text: Mikael Långström and NBPR

Photos: Tiina Sorsimo