Patent Prosecution Highway: Indonesia and South Korea

September this year (2023) the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) of Indonesia and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, introducing the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme which allows applicants to seek patent protection in Indonesia based on a granted Korean patent.

The PPH facilitates an expedited examination process for patent applications in Indonesia by utilizing the results of the substantive examination issued by the KIPO. This can significantly reduce the examination period from around two years (from the substantive examination request) to less than one year (from the PPH request).

Similar to the existing Indonesia- Japan PPH agreement, interested applicants may file a PPH requests after the Indonesian patent application is published and before the first office action is issued, and it must be accompanied by the official fee of IDR 5 million (approximately USD 320).

The MOU outlined the scope of cooperation between the DGIP and KIPO which involves enhancing the two countries’ capacity, framework, protection, inspection, and utilization of intellectual property. Additionally, both nations will exchange information on increasing public awareness about the importance of intellectual property protection.

Contact Pintas today to learn more on how to utilize the Patent Prosecution Highway Programme to speed up your Patent Applications in Indonesia, Singapore and other countries which have similar programs available.