“The co-operation of biological materials deposit on the patent procedures of Taiwan and the United Kingdom” came into effect
TIPO(Taiwan Intellectual Property Office) and British Intellectual Property Office jointly signed a memorandum entitled “Mutual Cooperation in Biological Materials Deposits on Taiwan-British Patent Procedures” on December 1, 2017, and was officially implemented on the same day Mutual recognition.
This agreement not only provides people with multiple options for depositories but also avoids complicated procedures both domestic and abroad for the import or export of biological materials and the risk of contamination with other microorganisms during transport.
Under the cooperation agreement between Taiwan and Britain, Taiwanese applicants only need to register at the Institute of Food Industry Development in Taiwan or the deposit institution in the UK and provide the depositary document to TIPO or the United Kingdom Patent Office, and both parties will recognize the fact of deposit without Repeat registration.
In addition, Taiwanese firms or research institutes that apply for patent claims across multiple countries may now choose to deposit their presence at the British International Depository, in addition to the Japan International Depository which is mutual recognition with Taiwan.
This agreement marks a major breakthrough in the cooperation following the mutual recognition of the registration of biological materials deposit in Taiwan and Japan in 2015.