Arquivos do Mês: June 2018

The Brazilian PTO issued an official publication on June 26, 2018, in its official Bulletin #2477, to inform the extension of the pilot program for the issuance of pre-examination opinions to expedite the substantive examination of patent applications filed up to 2016 at the Office.

The substance “espilantol”, extracted from the jambu that causes the sensation of numbness in the mouth, is a focus of interest of researchers. Jambu is found in the Amazon and widely used in cooking and may still be an option for a new anesthetic, especially for dentistry.
The plant, which has several other medicinal properties is studied by researchers and academics from around the world. Patent registrations are made to preserve these studies.
According to the Brazilian Patents and Trademarks Office (BPTO), there are 433 applications and registrations of patents related to jambu, requested not only through the BPTO but also by other patent institutions around the world required by research centers, companies and organizations.
Japan has 137 applications and patents granted using the plant, equivalent to 32.16%. Followed by the US, which has 102 applications and patents (23.94%), France with 55 (12.91%), Spain 36 (8.45%) and China 26 (6.10%). Brazil registers 15 patents and applications that are being analyzed related to jambu, a percentage of 3.52%, and Germany with 10 applications and patents (2.35%) and Great Britain with seven (1.64%).
*Translated and adapted from a Brazilian website. The original publication (in Portuguese) can be found here

The BPTO granted on June 12 the Geographical Indication (GI) registration, for the socol product, a pork sausage produced by descendants of Italian immigrants in the area of Venda Nova do Imigrante (ASSOCOL), in the state of Espirito Santo.
The grant was published in the BPTO’s official Bulletin No. 2475 on behalf of Association of Socol Producers of Venda Nova do Imigrante (ASSOCOL).
The name socol is related to the traditional form of production of the sausage: tied in strips that refer to the vertebrae of the pig’s neck, it was called “so colli”, which, in the dialect of Veneto, the Italian region of origin of many immigrants, is how they called the bones of the neck. Over time, in Brazil, the name of the product was derived for socol.
Currently produced with pork loin, salt, black pepper and garlic, socol not only rescues the culture of immigrants, but also values the traditional know-how of the product. Produced initially for the families’ own consumption, it has gradually become a profitable activity and is considered one of the symbols of local culture and identity, stimulating even agrotourism.
The area to be considered as an indication of origin is located in the northeastern part of the city of Venda Nova do Imigrante, located in the State of Espirito Santo, covering the following regions: Alto Bananeiras, Bananeiras, Lavrinhas, Sede, Tapera, Alto Tapera, Santo Antonio da Serra and Providence.
*Translated and adapted from the BPTO’s official web page. The official publication can be found here

The pilot project STI Patents entered its second phase, which will receive up to 100 requests for priority examination. By the initiative, it is possible to prioritize the examination of patent applications filef by Science and Technology Institutions (STIs).
The purpose of the BPTO with the project is to stimulate and facilitate the insertion in the market of innovative products and services developed by STIs.
Each applicant may request the entry of one application per month, except in the last month of the project.
This phase will be active up to May 31, 2019, according to official notice published by the BPTO in its official bulletin nº 2473, of May 29, 2018.
*translated and adapted from the BPTO’s official web page