First Reinforced Partnership Agreement in Latin America

By Estudio Chaloupka

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the National Institute of Industrial Property of Argentina (INPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Reinforced Partnership programme between both offices. This comprehensive co-operation agreement is the first of its kind to be set up by the EPO with an IP office in Latin America.

“We are very enthusiastic about this agreement that aims to render our respective patent systems as efficient, user-friendly and reliable as possible for innovators. We believe that a robust patent system is an essential instrument for stimulating innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development”, said INPI’s President Dámaso Pardo.

Through their Reinforced Partnership programme, the EPO and INPI will work together to achieve shared objectives such as ensuring that the patent systems in both regions offer the best possible services to innovating businesses and inventors in an effective manner in order to benefit the economy and society as a whole. The Offices will also focus on a number of activities aimed at strengthening capacities in search and examination in emerging technology fields such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0, as well as capitalising on EPO work products, tools and standards.

With a gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$500 billion, Argentina is one of the largest economies in Latin America. With vast natural resources in energy and agriculture, it is also a leading food producer and offers significant opportunities in some manufacturing subsectors, and innovative services in high tech industries.