​​EPO and INPI Brazil strengthen partnership on patents

The EPO and Brazil’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) have recently reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing their co-operation in the field of patents. This collaboration aims to support innovation and economic development while fostering bilateral trade and investment between Europe and Brazil.

The Presidents of the two offices, António Campinos (EPO) and Júlio César Moreira (INPI), signed a new Reinforced Technical and Strategic Partnership Agreement by exchange of letters, building on the first agreement of this kind signed in 2019.

Under the new agreement, which entered into force on 3 April 2025, the EPO and INPI will continue to work together in strengthening patent search and examination capacities. This will be achieved through the reuse by INPI of EPO work products when examining national patent applications corresponding to those already processed by the EPO. This collaborative approach is expected to further reduce duplicated work and streamline INPI’s patent granting process. It has already proven beneficial under the “Fighting the backlog plan” of INPI, which cut INPI’s backlog from 147 217 applications in September 2019 down to 1 333 by the end of November 2024.

Furthermore, the EPO and INPI will continue collaborating on capacity-building initiatives, sharing best practices, exchanging patent data, and providing access to tools. These activities are outlined within a comprehensive two-year work programme, jointly developed by both offices to ensure alignment with shared objectives.

On 26 November 2024, the EPO and INPI also signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to renew the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme. This initiative allows patent applicants to continue requesting expedited processing of their applications at both offices, ensuring greater efficiency and responsiveness in meeting applicant needs.

Brazil, as the largest economy in Latin America, plays a critical role in the region’s economic landscape. The European Union is one of Brazil's most significant trading partners, representing 16% of its total trade, while Brazil ranks as a key trading partner for the EU. Additionally, the EU stands as the largest foreign investor in Brazil, contributing to the creation of quality jobs across various sectors of the Brazilian economy.

Co-operation between the EPO and INPI began in 2000 with the launch of a technical co-operation project. Since then, several bilateral agreements have been signed, strengthening ties and fostering closer collaboration. The EPO’s Strategic Plan underscores the importance of partnerships within Europe and with global stakeholders, recognizing their pivotal role in driving economic success. Agreements like the one with INPI illustrate the EPO’s ongoing commitment to reinforcing its international network and supporting innovation on a global scale.

The EPO has also signed Reinforced Technical and Strategic Partnership Agreements with other Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, further cementing its commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration across the region.

About Reinforced Partnership agreements

The EPO's Reinforced Partnership Programme builds on the Office's longstanding technical co-operation initiatives and seeks to establish ambitious, long-term collaborations with intellectual property offices worldwide in strategic and technical areas of mutual interest. This programme aims to enhance and strengthen the global patent system by expanding the network of partner offices that systematically utilise EPO work products, tools, and practices, thereby boosting the capacity, efficiency, and quality of the patent-granting process. By fostering close collaboration, the programme creates improved conditions for companies and inventors filing patents internationally. It also supports local innovation by empowering partner offices to deliver higher-quality services to local applicants, enabling them to better compete in the global economy.