Finland and China to clear backlog of patents together

The National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR) and the Chinese Patent Office (SIPO) have signed an agreement that enables them to exchange information and to speed up the processing of patent applications. China has become the world’s leading patent nation. Last year, over half a million patent applications were filed in China, more than anywhere else in the world. Finnish businesses file more than 1,000 patent applications in China every year. Immaterial rights, patents in particular, are substantially emphasised in China’s development strategy.

Li Yugang, Vice Commissioner of the Chinese Patent Office, and Rauni Hagman, NBPR Director General, signed the PPH agreement in Shanghai. Marja Aspelund, Consul General, and Arto Haapea, Vice Consul General of the Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai were also present.

This agreement allows an applicant of a Finnish patent to request accelerated processing at the Patent Office of the People’s Republic of China, if a corresponding application has been accepted by the NBPR.

The agreement between Finland and China enters into force on 1 January 2013 and is included in the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) system. The idea of the PPH system is to speed up the processing of patent applications and to reduce the amount of overlapping examination work carried out in different patent offices. Through the PPH system, patent applicants can achieve significant economic and time-saving benefits.

The NBPR has signed similar agreements with nine patent offices in the PPH system: Japan, United States, South Korea, Hungary, Canada, Austria, Russia, Spain and Israel.

When the PPH agreement enters into force, the applicant can request accelerated processing at the Chinese Patent Office on the basis of a patent application accepted in Finland, if the claims in a corresponding application filed with the Chinese Patent Office have already been allowed in Finland. It is the claims that state explicitly what you want to be protected by the patent. At the NBPR, the processing of the application is continued normally. Correspondingly, on the basis of a patent application accepted in China, the applicant can request accelerated processing at the NBPR. The agreement between Finland and China also applies to PCT applications.

The NBPR and the Chinese Patent Office signed the PPH agreement in Shanghai on 8 November 2012.

For further information, please contact:
Mr Juha Rekola
Development Director
juha.rekola@prh.fi
Tel. +358 9 6939 5504

Mr Ari Hirvonen
Senior Examiner
ari.hirvonen@prh.fi
Tel. +358 9 6939 5726