USPTO and Mexican Institute of Industrial Property launch new worksharing arrangement

WASHINGTON – The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) agreed to launch a new worksharing arrangement that will accelerate the process of obtaining a patent in Mexico for businesses and individuals already in possession of a corresponding U.S. patent.

Under the terms of the agreement signed by USPTO Director Andrei Iancu and IMPI Director General Juan Lozano Tovar in Mexico City today, the two offices will implement a parallel patent grant framework that allows IMPI to leverage USPTO search and examination results when granting a counterpart Mexican patent.

“The economic relationship between the United States and Mexico supports growth, opportunity, and jobs for millions of citizens in both our countries,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

“The USPTO strongly supports collaboration around the globe to protect and promote intellectual property,” said Director Iancu. “The USPTO is particularly proud of its close collaboration with IMPI, and we are thrilled to reaffirm and enhance the joint commitment and effort of the United States and Mexico to increase innovation. This agreement stands as a model for bilateral cooperation.”

“This is the type of cooperation on intellectual property envisioned in the USMCA. It will benefit innovators in the United States and Mexico and help us make North America the world’s most competitive and dynamic economic zone for generations to come,” said U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau.   

The USPTO and IMPI have a long history of cooperation. Since 2011, the two offices have implemented a more traditional form of bilateral cooperation: the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH). The new arrangement with Mexico improves on the PPH model by facilitating a more streamlined approach that significantly reduces review time of a Mexican patent application as well as institutional resources.

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