Overview
On 12 September 2024, the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT) and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) signed a Letter of Intent for Cooperation on Accelerated Patent Examination.
The cooperation framework forms part of the Belt and Road Intellectual Property Cooperation (BRIPC) Pilot Program.
Under the arrangement, eligible Chinese patent applications connected to earlier Turkish filings may benefit from accelerated examination before CNIPA.
Scope of the Cooperation
The program applies to:
- Chinese national patent applications
- Chinese national phase applications originating from PCT filings
where:
- TÜRKPATENT acted as the first filing office, and
- TÜRKPATENT determined that at least one claim is patentable or allowable
In such cases, applicants may request accelerated examination before CNIPA for the corresponding Chinese application.
BRIPC Pilot Program
The BRIPC Pilot Program is based on work-sharing principles between intellectual property offices.
The core mechanism is relatively straightforward:
- TÜRKPATENT performs substantive examination
- One or more claims are considered allowable
- The applicant submits a request to CNIPA
- CNIPA accelerates examination of the corresponding Chinese application
The program aims to reduce duplication of examination work and improve efficiency for applicants seeking patent protection in multiple jurisdictions.
Annual Application Limit
The number of applications accepted under the program from TÜRKPATENT is limited to:
- 100 applications per year
The pilot program officially commenced on:
- 20 January 2025
Required Documents
Applicants requesting accelerated examination before CNIPA must submit:
1. Patentability Notifications
Copies of all notifications issued by TÜRKPATENT concerning patentability, together with:
- Chinese translations, or
- English translations
Machine translations are accepted.
2. Allowable Claims
Copies of claims determined patentable or allowable by TÜRKPATENT, together with:
- Chinese translations, or
- English translations
3. Cited References
Copies of prior art references cited by TÜRKPATENT examiners.
Previously Submitted Documents
If the same documents were already submitted to CNIPA in earlier procedures, applicants may simply refer to those submissions instead of filing them again.
Application Guidelines
CNIPA published detailed application guidelines in both English and Chinese.
Practical Importance
The cooperation framework may provide several practical advantages for applicants:
- Faster patent prosecution in China
- Improved examination efficiency
- Reduced duplication of examination work
- More predictable prosecution strategy for Turkish-origin applications
The initiative is particularly relevant for applicants seeking patent protection in both Türkiye and China.
Conclusion
The accelerated examination cooperation between TÜRKPATENT and CNIPA represents a further development in international patent prosecution collaboration.
By allowing eligible applicants to leverage positive examination results obtained before TÜRKPATENT, the BRIPC Pilot Program may help streamline patent examination procedures before CNIPA and facilitate cross-border patent protection strategies involving Türkiye and China.