Award
The 8 recommendations relating to the award of the IP system and the timetable for initial action.
| Recommendation | Timeframe for initial action |
|---|---|
| Recommendation 18: The Government should encourage the European Patent Office (EPO) to pursue work sharing with the USPTO and JPO. | Completed. The EPO has announced its intention to start work sharing |
| Recommendation 19: The Patent Office should pursue work sharing arrangements with EPC member states, and trilaterally with the USA and Japan to reduce cross-national duplication of effort. | Completed with Japan on 2 July 2007 and 1 September 2007 with USA. |
| Recommendation 20: Continue to support and expedite the establishment of a single Community Patent through negotiations in Europe. | Action to follow publication of the work plan set out in the European Commission’s Patents Communication |
| Recommendation 21: Government should support the London Agreement as an interim step towards COMPAT, and as an improvement in its own right. | Expected to enter into force in early 2008 |
| Recommendation 22: Maintain a high quality of patents awarded by increasing the use of ‘section 21’ observations: streamlining procedures and raising awareness. | End 2008 |
| Recommendation 23: The Patent Office should conduct a pilot of Beth Noveck’s Community Patent Review in 2007 in the UK to determine whether this would have a positive impact on the quality of the patent stock. | Commence pilot in early 2008 |
| Recommendation 24: The Patent Office should develop stronger links with universities and other research institutions, including through short placements, to ensure that IP examiners are aware of recent developments in technology. | End 2008 |
| Recommendation 25a: Introduce accelerated grant process for patents to complement the accelerated examination and combined patent search and examination procedures. | Consultation launched in October 2007  (285Kb) |
| Recommendation 25b: Introduce fast track registration for trade marks. | Consultation launched in October 2007 (285Kb) |
