International agreements

During 2013, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) has propsed the signature of a number of agreements aiming to facilitate internationalisation for Spanish enterprises, using tools stemming from the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).

Before the PPH can be signed, a preliminary framework must first be established for international cooperation which should take the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) if there is not already one. This was the case with Singapore (InfoPI of September 2013) and Israel. The MoU with the Israeli Patents Office was signed on 24 September 2013, during the 51st series of meetings of the Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Member States.

On the same occasion, to strengthen the PPH agreement signed with the Korean Intellectual Property Organisation (KIPO), a PPH MOTTAINAI agreement was signed with the KIPO and a PPH with the Department for Industry and Trade of Colombia (SIC).

Ten have now been reached
Prior to the signature of agreements in Geneva, on 20 September 2013 a PPH Agreement was signed in Madrid between the SPTO and the Intellectual Property Office of Taiwan (TIPO), adding a total of ten PPH agreements between SPTO and different national Industrial Property offices.

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