CNIPA Seeks Public Opinions on Draft Amendments to Guidelines for Patent Examination
On 4 April 2019, China National Intellectual Property Administration (“CNIPA”) published the Amendments to the Guidelines for Patent Examination (Draft for Comment) to seek the views of the public on the draft amendments.
The draft amendments include consolidated provisions on graphical user interface (GUI) products, modification of contents related to patent search, as well as proposed stipulations that allow deferral of patent examination at the request of the applicant, recognise the patentability of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-related inventions if the stem cell is from an embryo within 14 days of fertilization and developed outside the human body, and ease restrictions on telephone communication between the examiner and the applicant.
Members of the public may send their opinions on the draft amendments via e-mail (tiaofasi@sipo.gov.cn), fax (010-62983681), or by letter to the Legal Affairs Department of CNIPA by the deadline of 5 May 2019.
