The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) has designated the National Intellectual Property Administration of China (CNIPA) as International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), allowing international patent applicants in the kingdom to select CNIPA to issue international search reports for their applications.
Saudi media reports said that this comes as an enhancement of cooperation between the two sides in the field of intellectual property, as this cooperation enables patent applicants to receive search reports for their PCT applications filed at SAIP and decide on entering the national phase.
CNIPA becomes the eighth ISA designated by SAIP, which includes the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the European Patent Office (EPO) the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), the Egyptian Patent Office, the Russian Federal Administration of Intellectual Property (ROSPATENT), and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
The partnership between the two sides has developed since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on February 22, 2019, on the sidelines of HRH the Crown Prince’s visit to China, the reports said.
It was followed by the Patent Prosecution Highway Program, which was signed on October 12, 2020, this come as a part of SAIP efforts to strengthen the collaboration and strategic partnerships in the field of intellectual property.