CNIPA, EPO Extend Pilot PCT Search Project (2022-11)

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the European Patent Office (EPO) jointly announced recently that an ongoing pilot project between the two offices concerning the the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) would be extended from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023.

The pilot project allows patent applicants from China to continue to selecting the European patent office as the international search authority.  Only PCT applications filed in English to the CNIPA or the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization will be applied to the project with a quota of 3,000 applications during the extension period.  Applications for which an international search has been completed by the EPO will not be subjected to a supplementary European search.

Adapted from the CNIPA