JPO-INPI Examiner Exchange Program Facilitates Understanding of Each Other’s Examination Practices

March 11, 2022

From October 4 to 8, 2021 and from February 15 to 18, 2022, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) held an *Examiner Exchange Program with the National Institute of Industrial Property of France (INPI).

The JPO and the INPI held their first Examiner Exchange Program in 2020 after the INPI started the assessment of inventive step in May 2020 and before the two Offices launched a PPH pilot program in January 2021. Three JPO examiners and three INPI examiners participated in this second Program, which was held online just like the last time.

The participants exchanged information on prior art search methods and systems and the application of examination standards in two technical fields (optical control, metals and electrochemistry) as well as patent systems such as France’s provisional patent application system and Japanese patent law’s provision for exceptions to lack of novelty, deepening the understanding of each other’s examination practices.

The JPO will continue to cooperate on patent examination with the IP Offices of other countries.

• Link to Examiner Exchange Program page in JPO Status Report 2022 (PDF:4,693KB)

• * The Examiner Exchange Program is designed to foster a relationship of trust and deepen mutual understanding between the examiners of the JPO and overseas IP Offices through discussions on each other's prior art search methods and examination practices, and to promote mutual use of prior art search results and examination results. 

Examiners' Meeting(1)

Examiners' Meeting(2)

[Last updated 11 March 2022]