In order to handle the increasing backlog of requests for examination and to expedite the examination of a patent application that has been filed both in Japan and overseas, the JPO has been collaborating with intellectual property offices (IP offices) overseas to mutually utilize the results of the searches and examinations conducted on patent applications filed in Japan that are also filed overseas.
As part of this collaboration, in October 2004, the JPO established the Advanced Industrial Property Network (AIPN) through which examination information in the JPO and the results of searches conducted by JPO examiners are provided to IP offices overseas.
The purpose of the AIPN is to enable IP offices overseas to obtain in machine-translated English the following: file wrappers, examination-related documents, and information on the legal status of an application or a patent, thereby enabling Japanese applicants to more quickly obtain patents in other countries.
As of October 2007, the AIPN has been available in the following 30 locations: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Chinese-Taipei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Korea, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, and the European Patent Office (EPO). |
