The two firms helped file TCP’s thin concrete pavement technology with Peru’s national patent office Indecopi in December, with Indecopi formally agreeing to examine the patent on 21 February.
The PPH programme is a global scheme encouraging greater collaboration and information sharing between patent offices to promote faster prosecution services. Through cross-border information sharing, patent authorities spend less time reviewing each application.
Patent offices in all four Pacific Alliance members – Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru – signed the PPH declaration in 2015, with the programme becoming effective in July. The pilot scheme will conclude in 2019, but could then be rolled out permanently.
The Pacific Alliance trade bloc was established in 2011. Since then it has integrated the Colombian, Chilean, Peruvian and Mexican stock markets, scrapped more than 90% of merchandise trade tariffs, abolished travel and visa requirements for its citizens and embarked on joint diplomatic missions abroad. As well as sharing information about patents, the Pacific Alliance states’ export promotion agencies share offices, information and experience, under an agreement that was renewed last June.