The UAE Ministry of Economy has revealed that the signing of a new cooperation agreement with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) aimed towards improving the UAE’s patent system. The agreement falls within the framework of completion and implementation of the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two parties in October of last year, which looks to enhance the patent system in the UAE.
The agreement was signed during the UAE – Korean Bilateral Meeting that was held recently in Seoul by Eng. Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Undersecretary for Economic Affairs of the UAE Ministry of Economy, and Choi Dong Yu, General Commissioner of KIPO. Also, present during the ceremonial signing was Khalfan Al-Suwaidi, Director of the Industrial Property Department of the Ministry of Economy and a number of officials and employees from the Ministry and KIPO.
Under the terms of the agreement, highly qualified technical experts and patent examination experts from Korea will be assigned to the International Center for Patent Registration to see how they can consolidate and reinforce the UAE’s intellectual property infrastructure while also providing consultation and training services to further update legislative and regulatory frameworks–thereby helping in the move to support the UAE’s strategy on intellectual property.
H.E. Shehhi shared that the UAE has implemented a successful series of steps towards the further development of its intellectual property environment over the last few years and has taken a leading role in protecting the rights of inventors and creators, which enhances the UAE’s competitiveness in this dynamic area and contributes to establishing a stimulating environment for research, development and innovation in the UAE.
Al Shehhi added, “The newly signed agreement with KIPO will contribute to providing the International Center for Patent Registration in the Ministry of Economy with key benefits and advantages like addressing the need for expertise and technical inspection personnel required to develop its performance and work standards and guidelines; meet the requirements for training national competencies and qualifying them for excellence in patent examination and registration; preparing a complete guide on how to submit international applications for patents; develop a roadmap for appointing the Center as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) in line with the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) under the umbrella of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).”