JICA supports NOIP to improve the capacity of patent application examination

From August 12 to 14, 2020, the NOIP participated in an online meeting with JICA Vietnam Office, JICA Japan and JPO to develop the contents for a new ODA project that is expected to be implemented in the first quarter of 2021. This 2-year ODA project aims to support the NOIP to improve its capacity for patent application examination.

At the meeting Mr. Phan Ngan Son, Deputy General Director NOIP appreciated the good tripartite (JICA-JPO-NOIP) cooperation in recent years through 3 technical cooperation projects, namely (i) the “Modernization of Industrial property Administration Project (MOIPA), 2000-2004, with the establishment of the Industrial Property Automation System (IPAS) to help the NOIP in managing the reception and processing IP applications and monitoring the validity of granted protection titles, which has been operating to date, (ii) UTIPINFO project "Application of IP information in Vietnam" (2005-2009) with the development of a number of additional applications based on the results of the MOIPA Project, namely: building an IP information search system serving the examination of IP applications at the NOIP, building an IP-Lib electronic library to serve the needs of IP information search of the public and building an electronic filing/receiving system ready to be put in operation when conditions permit and (iii) the project "Strengthening the enforcement of IP rights in Vietnam" (June 2012- March 2017) with remarkable results for the IPR enforcement system, namely having recruited and trained 14 key trainers for internal training courses; compiled teaching materials about IP; built and put into operation an information sharing system on IPR enforcement between the NOIP and the project co-implementing agencies; developed and disseminated IP cartoon discs for children etc.

Besides, the PPH program between the NOIP and the JPO allows rapid examination of patent applications that have had the examination results from the JPO.  After 3 years of implementation of Phase 1 of the PPH pilot program, currently the two agencies are  implementing Phase 2 (2019 - 2022) with double quota compared with those of Phase 1, namely 200 PPH requests per year.