CNIPA and European Patent Office pilot program will commence on December 1, 2020. Chinese patent applicants will be able to choose the European Patent Office as the international searching authority. CNIPA and EPO will initiate a two-year pilot program. According to the program, the international applications that are submitted in English by Chinese citizens and residents based on Patent Cooperation Treaty can select EPO as the international searching authority. 

PCT International Searching Authority Pilot Program will start on December 1 2020. the maximum of the number of application in the first year is 2500, and the second year is 3000, for the Patent Cooperation Treaty applications submitted to CNIPA or WIPO. Director of CNIPA Shen Changyu pointed out that China pays great attention to intellectual property rights, and Chinese enterprises regard intellectual property rights protection as the guarantee of forming the core competition and achieve sustainable development. The PCT international searching authority pilot program is a significant achievement of the deepening of the strategic cooperation of CNIPA and EPO. It will provide convenience for applicants to receive intellectual property rights protection in Europe.

Director of EPO Antonio Campinos said, it is a historical moment of the strategic cooperation of EPO and CNIPA. Meanwhile, it reveals that CNIPA has confidence with the high-quality work of EPO. EPO strives to provide the best service to applicants from China and all over the world. It is a great honor that EPO becomes the first international searching authority that Chinese applicants can select apart from CNIPA.