EPO and Mexico launch reinforced partnership

https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/epo-and-mexico-launch-reinforced-partnership

EPO and Mexico launch reinforced partnership

05.11.2019

The EPO has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Reinforced Partnership with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), further strengthening the longstanding co-operation between Europe and Mexico in the area of patents. The MoU was signed on Monday in Mexico City by EPO President António Campinos and IMPI Director General Juan Lozano.

“Mexico is a very important partner for us, and our offices have already worked together to support innovation for 25 years” said EPO President Campinos. “Through our joint projects on the Cooperative Patent Classification, the EPO’s online patent search tool EPOQUE Net, comprehensive data exchange and judicial training we have brought our patenting procedures and work more closely in line. We are now entering a new phase in our co-operation, extending it to more strategic areas, with a view to making our patent systems as efficient, user-friendly and relevant as possible for innovators in both regions.”

The IMPI Director General Juan Lozano underlined the importance of the strategic alliance with the EPO to enhance the use of Mexican resources dedicated to the examination of national patents, as well as to accelerate applications previously examined by EPO, issuing “more patents, faster, as well as reducing the backlog”.

He said that the MoU will promote the exchange of information and good practices, and the Institute will be able to benefit from training, certification, tools and technical support provided by the EPO in a framework of collaboration.

Through the Reinforced Partnership, the EPO and IMPI will join forces to develop a number of activities aimed at increasing efficiency, timeliness and quality of the patent grant process with a view to promoting investment and technology transfer between Europe and Mexico. The EPO will support IMPI in strengthening search and examination in fast-growing and emerging technology fields such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0. At the same time, IMPI will make effective use of EPO work products, tools and standards to ensure a high quality, timely and efficient examination of both national first and second filings.

According to figures from the World Bank and the European Commission, Mexico is the 11th largest economy in the world (EUR 2.2 trillion) with a strong focus on manufacturing and a population of almost 130 million. The country has strong macroeconomic institutions, and is open to trade and private investment. The EU is Mexico's second-biggest export market after the United States.

About Reinforced Partnership

The EPO's Reinforced Partnership programme seeks to establish deep and wide-ranging long-term partnerships with the intellectual property offices of the world's emerging innovation hubs. The aim is to further integrate and strengthen the global patent system by extending the network of partner offices that increase their capacities, productivity and quality through the systematic utilisation of EPO work products, tools and practices. The programme provides improved conditions for applicants filing patents internationally via the EPO and the PCT, and fosters innovation by supporting the partner offices in providing improved localised services.