News

Brazil moving towards computerization of patent procedures

Over the last few years, the Brazilian PTO has tried to establish the computerization of patent procedures, aiming at (i) decreasing the backlog of patent applications yet to be analyzed, (ii) increasing the efficiency and quality of the services rendered to the public and (iii) improving the assistance to its employees.
This being the case, the platform named “e-Patentes” presents a set of solutions and tools for the modernization of patent processing at the PTO, making available the following online services: “e-Patentes Parecer”, “e-Patentes Carta Patente”, “e-Patentes Vista”, “SisBioList” and “e-Patentes Depósito”. Said platform further makes available services targeted at its own employees, such as the “IPC Reclass” and “IPC Translate”, both directed to the international patent classification, and the “E-PEC”, a specific platform for collaboration among Patent and Trademark Authorities.

The “e-Patentes Parecer” makes available most of the Examiners´ opinions immediately after their publication in the Official Gazette, thus facilitating the access to said opinions, which used to be rather slow before that tool. The “e-Patentes Parecer” has even contributed for the quicker compliance with technical requirements by the applicants, thereby expediting the issuance of the new opinion or the decision.

The “e-Patentes Carta Patente” is currently making available the Letters Patent solely in electronic format and, therefore, the access to the document is extremely facilitated, generating a quick, dynamic and efficient receipt to the BPTO´s users.

The “e-Vista” is a tool for the online access of patent applications through the visualization of the data and non-confidential documents. It aims to reduce the number of requests of photocopies, decreasing the expenditures with paper and other costs involved and increasing the feasibility of access to the mentioned documents. Furthermore, in respect of “e-Vista”, there is currently a project conceived in partnership with ANVISA, the Brazilian Health and Surveillance Agency, making available the full contents of the documents analyzed for ANVISA’s previous approval.

The “SisBioList” is an online tool for the preparation and/or submission of sequence listings in the format required by the BPTO.

On March 20, 2013, the “E-Patentes Depósito” was launched. This tool was inspired in the system adopted by the European Patent Office and enables its users to electronically file a Brazilian patent application. The tool is pointed out by the BPTO as one of the main initiatives that are part of a list of measures that will help to reduce the present backlog of patent examinations, thus creating the real expectation for the BPTO to be a world reference in the prosecution and analysis of patent applications.

Carmen Sánchez-Puelles