We also observed how the ratio evolved in the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), Japan Patent Office, China’s State Intellectual Property Office and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) from 2010 to 2013. It is possible to further analyse and contrast the current position of the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (INPI) using my previous article as a reference.
It is important to observe that the INPI does not publish regular and complete statistics regarding its activities. For example, there are no precise yearly statistics on the overall pendency time of patent applications from filing to grant at the INPI. Based on experience, practitioners are aware that this pendency time is at least 11 years. The actual number of examiners is also missing from the INPI’s reports.
Table 1 depicts the INPI’s statistics from 2010 to 2013 covering the pendency time from filing to the issuance of a first examination report, as they will be sufficient for our purpose.