Mexico Strengthens Its Role in the International Patent System

By Goodrich Riquelme y Asociados

Mexico’s Industrial Property Office will become an International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authority under the PCT in 2027. The appointment expands the country’s role in the international patent system and is expected to bring key PCT services closer to applicants in Latin America.

Mexico is strengthening its role in the international patent system following the appointment of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The appointment was approved by the PCT Assembly during the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Assemblies in July 2026, and IMPI is expected to begin performing the functions in January 2027, once its agreement with WIPO enters into force.

The designation will make IMPI the 26th authority worldwide authorized to perform international searches and preliminary examinations under the PCT and the third such authority based in Latin America and the Caribbean. The other authorities operate through national or regional patent offices and provide applicants with an assessment of relevant prior art and patentability during the international phase of a PCT application.

The PCT system allows inventors, companies and research institutions to seek patent protection in more than 150 countries through a single international application. Rather than granting a worldwide patent, the system provides a centralized international filing procedure and allows applicants to defer individual national or regional patent procedures while obtaining information about the potential patentability of their inventions.

As an ISA and IPEA, IMPI will be able to conduct international searches and issue written opinions and preliminary examination reports concerning the patentability of inventions. These procedures can help applicants identify relevant prior art and assess issues such as novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability before deciding how to proceed with patent protection in individual jurisdictions.