Korean Intellectual Property Office to become a possible International Searching Authority for PCT applications filed through the USPTO Receiving Office

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced that it has made an agreement with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) to allow the Korean Intellectual Property Office to function as a competent International Searching Authority (ISA) starting January 1, 2006 with respect to International Patent Applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) through the United States Receiving Office (USRO). Those applicants who select KIPO as the ISA will also be permitted to select KIPO as a competent International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) if they file a Chapter II at the requisite time.

Prior to January 1, 2006 applicants filing PCT applications through the USRO could only select either the USPTO or the European Patent Office (EPO) as possible ISAs. So, the addition of the Korean Intellectual Property Office as a possible ISA gives applicants greater flexibility in deciding where to have a PCT application searched and possibly examined. Additionally, applicants can save money by selecting KIPO as their ISA since the official fees for the search will only be $218 which is less expensive than the office fees charged by either the USPTO or the EPO ISAs. If a Chapter II Demand is filed requesting KIPO to examine an application it searched, then the official fee is again only $218, which is significantly less expensive than the official fees charged by either the US or European IPEAs.

To learn more about the international protection of technology and the PCT process, go to Protecting Inventions Internationally