| Accelerated Patent Grant |
Referenced Items (276, 277) |
(276) The Dominican Republic's National Office of Industrial Property Is
Accelerating Patent Grants Based on the Issuance of a Corresponding
United States Patent
As the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) works to
bolster robust and reliable intellectual property (IP) protection within
the United States (U.S.), it also coordinates internationally with other IP
offices to make it easier for U.S. companies to protect and enforce their
IP rights across the globe. As part of that work, the USPTO is announcing a
new worksharing arrangement-the Accelerated Patent Grant (APG)-with the
Dominican Republic's National Office of Industrial Property (ONAPI), which
will allow for expedited grants of Dominican Republic patents to U.S.
patent holders.
The APG is an applicant-driven patent worksharing arrangement between
the USPTO and a partner IP office. An applicant who has received a U.S.
patent may request that the partner office grant its national patent on a
corresponding application pending in that office on the basis of the U.S.
patent and without a substantive examination, subject to the relevant laws
of that country. This allows the applicant to obtain a patent in the
partner office more quickly. The APG also promotes application processing
efficiency by allowing an examiner in the partner office to reuse the
search and examination results from the USPTO, thereby reducing the
examiner's workload and duplication of effort.
On April 26, 2024, the USPTO and ONAPI signed an APG arrangement that
provides U.S. patent holders with the option of using a simplified and
expedited process for obtaining a patent in the Dominican Republic. The
process allows an eligible applicant who has received a U.S. patent to
request that ONAPI grant the Dominican Republic patent on a corresponding
Dominican Republic application pending at ONAPI on the basis of the U.S.
patent, without a substantive examination, subject to the relevant patent
laws of the Dominican Republic. The program is scheduled to remain in
effect until April 26, 2029.
ONAPI has published information about applicant eligibility and the
guidelines for participating in the APG program implemented under this
arrangement on its website:
www.onapi.gov.do/index.php/invenciones/guia-apg.
You may direct any inquiries concerning this notice to Keith Mullervy,
Office of Policy and International Affairs, at 571-270-7079 or
keith.mullervy@uspto.gov.
You may direct any specific questions about the APG to the Office of
Policy and International Affairs at 571-272-9300 or IP.Policy@uspto.gov.
September 26, 2024 KATHERINE K. VIDAL
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and
Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
[1528 OG 253]
Top of Notices (276) December 31, 2024