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>[20.May.10] Patents – USPTO and SIPO sign MoU on cooperations
Source: USPTO [Adapted]

The Commerce Under Secretary for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) Commissioner signed this month a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral cooperation on patent prosecution. A primary focus will be to build worksharing programs, including a bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) agreement, in order to reduce both Offices’ growing backlogs and shorten patent pendency.

The MoU establishes a general framework for bilateral cooperation between the USPTO and the SIPO with an aim toward improving the administration and effectiveness of the intellectual property systems through the exchange of information as well as the development of best practices and cooperative activities.

The two offices will immediately begin planning the implementation of these cooperative projects under the MoU.