EPO and Peru’s INDECOPI sign two partnership agreements

https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/epo-and-perus-indecopi-sign-two-partnership-agreements

EPO and Peru’s INDECOPI sign two partnership agreements

06.05.2022

The EPO and Peru's National Institute for the Defence of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI) concluded a Reinforced Partnership agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). Both agreements were signed by EPO President António Campinos and INDECOPI Executive President Julián Fernando Palacín Gutiérrez.

This is the fifth Reinforced Partnership that the EPO has completed within Latin America, following agreements with national offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. INDECOPI also becomes the fifth national office in Latin America to formally introduce the CPC, following agreements between the EPO and intellectual property (IP) offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

Since 2018, the EPO has signed eleven Reinforced Partnership agreements in total, including with further national IP offices in Ethiopia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, as well as with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

Co-operation objectives

Under their Reinforced Partnership, the EPO and INDECOPI agree to ensure efficient patent examination and high patent quality. The two Offices will co-operate on the training and tools as well as the technical and legal support necessary to conduct substantive search and examination for national first filings and to issue search reports and written opinions.

Accurate classification of patent literature is essential for the optimal functioning of the global IP community's access to patent knowledge. Pursuant to their CPC agreement therefore, the EPO and INDECOPI will co-operate on CPC training as well as technical ICT-related support to assist with classification and, where relevant, reclassification in the CPC. The two Offices also intend to co-operate on quality regarding CPC classification work.

More broadly, the purpose of the agreements is to help contribute to the continuous improvement of the global patent system as well as to further foster innovation, competitiveness and economic growth and development. This could in turn play a significant role in supporting bilateral trade and investment between Europe and Peru.