Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (INPI) Publishes New Rule on Prioritization Examination of Patent Applications
In an attempt to spur innovations and create a robust legal framework that can reward innovators in the country, the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office have come-up with new rules and regulations regarding the conditions for requesting priority examination of patent applications. Among many, one of the rules that witnessed maximum reshuffling is Rule #151. Under the Rule #151 an applicant may request priority examination of a patent application under the following conditions: • An applicant is shown to be at least 60 years old • A third party is shown to be reproducing the subject matter of the patent application without the applicant’s previous consent • Promotion funds from promotion agencies or official national credit institutions cannot be obtained unless a patent is granted (provided that such funds have been demonstrated to be an economic subsidy, financing or corporate stake, or otherwise arise from mutual investment funds that will exploit the relevant product or process); and • An applicant is a person with a functional or mental disability or has a severe disease.
