News - August 2026
- EPO to continue key role as PCT authority until 2037
- Patent granting process fully digital as of 1 April 2027
- Argentina Eases Biotechnology Patent Rules
- Saudi Arabia Joins WIPO’s Madrid System
- El Salvador joins the Hague System
- Patents Examination Manual update – section 39
- Japanese PCT Applicant’s Guide Goes Digital with eGuide Format
- PATENTSCOPE Broadens Its SEP Coverage with the Addition of ETSI Family Extension Data
- PCT System Strengthened as IMPI Becomes New International Authority
- India’s Patent Office Rejects AI as Inventor in Landmark DABUS Decision
- EAPO joins the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs
- Saudi Arabia Deposits Instruments of Accession to Riyadh Design Law Treaty, Madrid Protocol
- Peru Ratifies WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge
- USPTO and Ghana sign historic statement of intent for Accelerated Patent Grant arrangement
- Indonesia Introduces New Official Fees Effective 2 August 2026: What Trademark and Patent Owners Need to Know
1 EPO to continue key role as PCT authority until 2037
The European Patent Office (EPO) will continue to act as International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authority (ISA/IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) for another ten years, until 2037. The EPO’s reappointment was confirmed at the Assembly of the International Patent Cooperation Union, which took place as part of the WIPO Assemblies in Geneva in July. The Administrative Council will next be invited to approve the signature of a new Agreement with the International Bureau .
The decision follows the recommendation made by the PCT Committee for Technical Cooperation in February 2026, having reviewed applications for reappointment from around the world. It will be implemented…
Source URL:- https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/epo-continue-key-role-pct-authority-until-2037
2 Patent granting process fully digital as of 1 April 2027
After around a decade of digital transformation in close collaboration with all stakeholders, the European Patent Office (EPO) will formally complete the transition to a fully digital patent granting process (PGP) on 1 April 2027, when digital filing and notification become mandatory. While most users have already embraced the EPO’s high-quality, intuitive and accessible digital services, targeted support will be available to those who have not yet started interacting digitally with the EPO.
Guided by the EPO’s Strategic Plan 2028, the transition to a fully…
Source URL:- https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/patent-granting-process-fully-digital-1-april-2027
3 Argentina Eases Biotechnology Patent Rules
Argentina’s Resolution 197/2026 repeals the restrictive biotechnology patent examination rules introduced in 2015, marking another step in the country’s patent system modernisation.
The reform removes several barriers for biotech inventions, including strict requirements on DNA sequence claims and genetic material. Patent examiners will now assess biotechnology inventions under Argentina’s general patent law, bringing practice closer to international standards.
This change may make Argentina more attractive for biotech companies, universities and research organisations seeking patent protection. However, existing exclusions remain, including the non-patentability…
4 Saudi Arabia Joins WIPO’s Madrid System
Saudi Arabia has joined the Madrid System, bringing its geographical reach to 133 countries and reinforcing its position as a practical and efficient solution for protecting trademarks worldwide.
National trademark holders in five – Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – of the six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council can now use the Madrid System to secure cross-border protection of their brands….
Source URL:- https://www.wipo.int/en/web/madrid-system/w/news/2026/saudi-arabia-joins-wipos-madrid-system
5 El Salvador joins the Hague System
El Salvador has joined the Hague System, expanding the geographical reach of WIPO’s international design system to 100 countries. El Salvador's accession marks an important milestone for the Hague System and reflects its growing attractiveness as an efficient and cost-effective solution for securing international design protection.
The Government of El Salvador deposited its instrument of accession to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement on July 7, 2026. El Salvador becomes the 77th Contracting Party to the Geneva Act and the 83rd member of the Hague Union.
The Geneva Act will enter into force with respect to El Salvador on October 7, 2026.…
Source URL:- https://www.wipo.int/en/web/hague-system/w/news/2026/el-salvador-joins-the-hague-system
6 Patents Examination Manual update – section 39
We have updated our Patents Examination Manual content relating to the requirements of section 39 (contents of the complete specification).
The updated content provides more detail and greater transparency about our examination practice.
You can read the updated guideline here
Section 39: Contents of complete specification…
Source URL:- https://www.iponz.govt.nz/news/patents-examination-manual-update-section-39/
7 Japanese PCT Applicant’s Guide Goes Digital with eGuide Format
WIPO has launched the Japanese version of the PCT Applicant’s Guide in “eGuide” format, giving Japanese-speaking PCT users faster, easier access to regularly updated information on the international patent filing system.
The addition of Japanese marks an important step in making the PCT’s top informational resource more accessible to one of the world’s largest PCT user communities.
From annual PDFs to regular digital updates
The PCT Applicant’s Guide (also known as “the Guide”)…
Source URL:- https://www.wipo.int/en/web/pct-system/w/news/2026/japanese-pct-applicant-s-guide-goes-digital-with-eguide-format
8 PATENTSCOPE Broadens Its SEP Coverage with the Addition of ETSI Family Extension Data
PATENTSCOPE users can now identify not only patents explicitly declared to ETSI as standard essential, but also related patent family members added by ETSI through its Family Extension.
A new “ETSI Family Extension” column in the SEP Info tab displays three categories of ETSI-related records:
Basis Patent
Explicitly Disclosed
Extended records (patents that were not originally declared…
9 PCT System Strengthened as IMPI Becomes New International Authority
The PCT Assembly has approved a series of reforms to modernise the international patent filing system, ensuring the continuity of international search and preliminary examination services through 2037. The decisions also introduce improvements to electronic services, personal data protection, and fee management, making the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system more efficient and user-friendly.
A key development for the region is the appointment of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) as an International Searching Authority…
10 India’s Patent Office Rejects AI as Inventor in Landmark DABUS Decision
The Indian Patent Office has rejected a patent application naming DABUS (Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience) as the sole inventor, in what is described as India’s first substantive determination on whether an AI system can be recognized as an inventor under the Patents Act, 1970.
The Controller held that the current legal framework requires an inventor to be a natural or legally recognized person capable of holding and transferring rights, meaning ownership of the AI system, its source code or hardware does not establish inventorship.…
11 EAPO joins the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs
President of the EAPO Grigory Ivliev deposited the instruments of accession of the EAPO to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs with Director General of WIPO Daren Tang.
The ceremony was also attended by Alexei Kurman, Director General of the National Center for Intellectual Property (Republic of Belarus).
Accession to the system creates more favorable conditions for applicants in the Eurasian region to commercialize design solutions, expand export opportunities, and enhance the competitiveness of their products in international…
12 Saudi Arabia Deposits Instruments of Accession to Riyadh Design Law Treaty, Madrid Protocol
GENEVA - Saudi Arabia has deposited its instruments of accession to both the Riyadh Design Law Treaty and the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) during the meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO in Geneva.
The deposit ceremony was attended by the CEO of Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Swailem, and Ambassador Abdulmohsen Binkhothaila, Saudi Arabia's Permanent…
Source URL:- https://www.agip.com/News/en/news/23585
13 Peru Ratifies WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge
Peru has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, marking another step towards the treaty's entry into force. The instrument of ratification was deposited with the WIPO on 8 July 2026.
As part of its ratification, Peru declared that it will promptly initiate the necessary domestic procedures to accept any future amendments to the Treaty adopted by the Assembly before they enter into force…
14 USPTO and Ghana sign historic statement of intent for Accelerated Patent Grant arrangement
New agreement with Ghana’s IP office is the USPTO’s first with an African country
The U.S Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has marked a historic first after signing a statement of intent for a new Accelerated Patent Grant (APG) arrangement between the USPTO and Ghana’s IP office, the Registrar General’s Department, Ministry of Justice (GHIPO).
Under Secretary of Commerce and USPTO Director John A. Squires and the Registrar-General of Ghana,…
Source URL:- https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/uspto-and-ghana-sign-historic-statement-intent-accelerated-patent-grant
15 Indonesia Introduces New Official Fees Effective 2 August 2026: What Trademark and Patent Owners Need to Know
Indonesia will implement a new schedule of official Intellectual Property (IP) fees beginning 2 August 2026, affecting several Trademark services while also introducing new official fees for certain Patent procedures…