The summary of the 11th trilateral policy dialogue meeting among JPO, KIPO and SIPO

THE SUMMARY OF THE 11TH TRILATERAL POLICY DIALOGUE MEETING AMONG JPO, KIPO AND SIPO

<from left to right; Commissioner Tian of SPO, Commissioner Lee of KIPO andCommissioner Iwai of JPO at the Trilateral meeting among KIPO, SIPO and JPO>

1. Date

December 16, 2011 (Friday)

2. Venue

Gyeongju Hilton Hotel, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea

3. Attendees

Mr. Yoshiyuki IWAI

Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO)

Mr. LEE Soowon,

Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO)

Mr. TIAN Lipu,

Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the P. R. China (SIPO)

4. Backgrounds

The Commissioners of the JPO, the KIPO and the SIPO assembles annually, discussing on issues in the fields of patent, design, information technology and human resource development and others. The 11^th Trilateral Policy Dialogue Meeting was held in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.

5. Summary of the Results

(1) Report on Case Study of Inventive Step

The Three Offices approved the “Comparative Case Study on Inventive Step,” consolidating the results of case studies where the Three Offices evaluated inventive step and what was discussed based on the evaluation results, and agreed to make it available on the website at each office.

(2) The Utility Model System

China and Korea reviewed the “Comparative Table of the Utility Model Law” prepared by the JPO. The Three Offices also agreed to further continue comparative study on the utility model laws and practices among the Three Offices, to exchange opinions regarding different views and policies on the utility model law which should be the foundation of the legal construction in each country, and to deepen mutual understanding.

(3) Harmonization

The JPO presented future course of international discussions toward harmonization. In responding to this, the SIPO clearly stated that while recognizing the importance of harmonization, despite anticipation of the long-term work, the JPO-led Matrix Study would become the foundation for harmonization. The KIPO also expressed similar views, supported the JPO proposal for establishing IP5 Expert Panel, and stated it would be actively involved in it.

(4) Patent Classification

The Three Offices confirmed that it was important that the IP5 Offices would agree to accelerate the Common Hybrid Classification (CHC) project at the IP5 Heads meeting scheduled to be held in June 2012. In addition, considering that FI and ECLA (CPC) had its own strength in different fields, and that the countries where the Three Offices belonged had the similar industrial structure, the Three Offices shared common recognition that adopting the classification system that fit in with their industrial structures would contribute to common benefits among them. Accordingly, the Three Offices agreed to exchange their views in advance on how to proceed with the CHC project, where two types of classification systems would be integrated.

(5) Machine Translation

The JPO pointed out the importance of machine translation not only between Japanese and English, but also between Japanese and Asian languages, for the sake of Japanese users. The KIPO and the SIPO strongly supported this view, and the Three Offices agreed to continue trilateral cooperation for the CN-JP/ JP-KR/ CN-KR machine translation project.

(6) Cooperation in the Automation Field

The SIPO proposed to furnish useful information for users on the website of the Trilateral IP Offices (TRIPO) to open to the public, and to exchange priority documents electronically among the Three Offices. The JPO and the KIPO agreed.

(7) Statistical Data Exchange

The SIPO proposed to exchange statistical data of the number of valid registration. The JPO and the KIPO agreed.

(8) Renewal of Roadmap for Trilateral Cooperation

The Three Offices confirmed that they have produced positive results in a steady manner according the Roadmap for Trilateral Cooperation formulated in 2007, and agreed on the revised Roadmap for Trilateral Cooperation, including new cooperation program such as harmonization, PPH, classification, and user services.

(9) Joint Statement

The Three Offices adopted the Joint Statement which comprehensively reflects Trilateral Cooperation for the development of the intellectual property system among Japan, Korea and China, specifically including mutual exploitation of patent examination, enhancement of intellectual property protection, cooperation on development of human resources, and enhanced cooperation on serving users harmonization.

[Last updated 7 February 2012]

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