News

BPTO grants Geographical Indication for Cheese and Cocoa Almonds

25/04/2018

The BPTO granted on April 24, the registration of Geographical Indication (GI), for the product “Cheese” of the Witmarsum Colony. The region corresponds to the delimitation of the former Cancela Farm, in the district of Palmeira, Parana. Currently, the 20 tons of cheese produced per month supply markets throughout Parana and in several Brazilian states. GI was granted on behalf of the Cooperativa Mista Agropecuaria Witmarsum Ltd.
In the BPTO’s official Gazzete No. 2468, another GI was also granted for the product “Cocoa almonds” from the South of Bahia. The protected geographical area includes more than 80 cities in the region.
The importance of the cocoa economic activity in the south of Bahia is historical, having been initiated in the middle of the XVIII century. In recent years, new generations of farmers have introduced innovations in farming methods and agricultural management, such as “fine cocoa” initiatives. The GI was requested by the Cocoa Producers Association of Southern Bahia.
Understanding Geographical Indication
The GI registry allows the delimitation of a geographical area, restricting the use of its name to the producers and service providers of the region (generally, organized in representative entities).
The GI denominated “Denomination of Origin” recognizes the name of a country, city or region whose product or service has certain specific characteristics thanks to its geographical environment, including natural and human factors.
The “Indication of Origin” species refers to the name of a country, city or region known as a center for the extraction, production or manufacture of a particular product or the provision of a particular service.
*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s official webpage. The original publication (in Portuguese) can be found here.

News

Brazilian PTO discusses cooperation actions with Russia

18/04/2018

Representatives from the Brazilian PTO attended a meeting with the general director of the Russian Federal Office for Intellectual Property (ROSPATENT) to discuss the next steps of cooperation between the two offices in the field of industrial property.

The meeting took place on April 17, during the “International Conference 1.0 on Digital Transformation: Intellectual Property and Blockchain Technologies”, held in the Russian capital.

During the meeting, a work plan for 2018 was defined, which includes actions such as the access to the Russian patent base and the PatSearch search tool; the introduction to ROSPATENT of BPTO’s computer program registration system; the ROSPATENT delegation visit to the BPTO for exchange of information on patent examination; the realization of bilateral meetings to exchange experiences and discussions on specific IP issues; and the participation of BPTO in ROSPATENT’s event.

The two offices also discussed topics related to internal management, second instance administrative jurisprudence and quality evaluation in the examination activities of the two offices, as well as topics related to the international IP system.

It is important to note that the cooperation in IP between Brazil and Russia was formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed on November 23, 2017, at the BPTO headquarters, during a visit of ROSPATENT’s general director.

*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s official webpage. The original publication can be found here

News

BPTO and DKPTO signed an agreement to establish a Pilot Prosecution Highway (PPH)

13/04/2018
Representatives of the BPTO and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO) signed a cooperation agreement on Thursday (12) to establish a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot project.

Through PPH, Brazilians will be able to use the result of the examination of the patent application by the BPTO to accelerate the analysis in Denmark and vice versa. In this pilot phase, up to 100 patent applications per year in each country will be accepted by the PPH. The agreement will be valid for two years, covering the enrollment of 200 applications in the program in each office.

In the PPH pilot, the BPTO will only accept applications for patents related to mechanical engineering, lighting, heating, weapons and explosion, excluding any applications in the pharmaceutical segment. The DKPTO will accept patent applications from any technological field.

In addition, the BPTO will limit the participation of one applicant for application per month, except in the last month of the project.

Brazil is the first South American country with which the DKPTO signs this kind of cooperation agreement.

*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s webpage. The original publication (In Portuguese) can be found here
News

The Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development announces a new BPTO

11/04/2018

The Brazilian Federal Government is modernizing the Brazilian Industrial Property System. In collaboration with national and foreign partners, the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services and the Brazilian Industrial Development Agency (ABDI) have implemented a series of measures to become more agile and efficient in the process of analysis and grant of patents by the Brazilian Patents and Trademarks Office (BPTO). In addition to investments in infrastructure, the government will create a simplified system for patents acceptance. The expectation is to attend about 204 thousand patent applications throughout the year 2018, significantly reducing the backlog of the institution.
In the last three years, the BPTO’s productivity has grown considerably, reaching record levels. In 2017, the institute closed the year with more decisions than applications reducing the backlog of patents (7.6%), trademarks (14.9%) and industrial designs (26%).
This January, the ABDI and the BPTO signed a Cooperation Agreement to reformulate the IT infrastructure and processes to accelerate examination. The agency’s investment was over US$ 10 million.
In addition, the Prosperity Fund of the British Government has also invested in the BPTO, ensuring convergence with international practices. In addition to these Initiatives, a greater number Patent Prosecution Highway (PPHs) – recently signed with the United States, European Union, China, Japan and Prosul (Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay). An agreement is also being negotiated with Denmark.
* translated and adapted from ABDI’s official webpage. You can check the original publication (in Portuguese) here

News

BPTO and UKIPO signed an agreement to establish a Pilot Prosecution Highway (PPH)

05/04/2018
During the 10th meeting of the UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) held in London, representatives of the Brazilian PTO and the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) have signed an agreement that may accelerate the analysis of patent applications. The agreement includes a pilot project of bilateral Patent Prosecution Highways (PPH). The programme, which will commence in the third quarter of 2018, builds on work initiated under the UK-Brazil Memorandum of Understanding on IP. It will support UK and Brazilian businesses via prioritized examination of patents already granted by one of the offices.

On average, the deadline is reduced from about 10 years (complete procedure) to nine months (time until the examination after entering the PPH). According to the Minister of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services, “patents granted with agility are essential to stimulate innovation and competitiveness of companies, including those who intend to invest in the foreign market. They also contribute to attracting investments to Brazil. “

The BPTO estimates that up to 100 patent applications per year may be included in the project. The technological fields will still be defined by the two institutes. Currently, Brazil has PPH projects with the United States, Japan, China, the European Patent Office and the Latin American countries (Prosur).

*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s official webpage. You can check the official publication here