The European Patent Office (EPO) is working with its Australian counterpart to improve the patent systems of the two regions.
Reciprocal access to patent information and the establishment of a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme is a possibility, with significant benefits on offer to Australian patent applicants, Lexology reported.
A global PPH already exists between Australia and: Canada; Denmark; Hungary; Iceland; Israel; Finland; Japan; Korea; Norway; Portugal; Russia; Spain; Sweden; the UK; and the USA.
Aplicants can utilise the results of examination in one jurisdiction to request expedited examination of their application in another GPPH country, but the EPO is not a member of the GPPH; something which the two regions are now working towards. The new highway may not become available until halfway through 2016.
IP lawyers in Australia will also be able to use the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system, a classification system for technical documents which facilitates easier patent searching and improves examination results.
Patent offices will also be able to share information internationally, accelerating examinations of applications in Australia.