BRAZIL
July 10, 2024
The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BRPTO) has announced its involvement in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH), which started on July 6, 2024, and is extending collaboration with over 10 new partner Offices.
The GPPH, coordinated by the Japan Patent Office (JPO), is a multilateral cooperation program involving 27 Intellectual Property Offices worldwide with the aim to expedite patent prosecution by allowing the sharing of examination results among participating Offices, including those from the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Currently, the BRPTO has bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) agreements with 23 national and regional Offices. With the addition of the GPPH, this network expands to 35 partner Offices.
The existing rules under the PPH, as defined in INPI/PR Ordinance No. 78/2022, will remain in force until the publication of the updated rules covering the examination results of the new partner Offices, and will be applicable as from their official inclusion.
The implementation of the GPPH is consistent with the 2023-2025 Action Plan of Brazil's National Intellectual Property Strategy (ENPI), reinforcing the commitment to streamline patent procedures and foster innovation.