WIPO Proposes Supplementary International Patent Search

The WIPO General Assembly is likely to approve a supplementary international patent search, according to comments made by WIPO Deputy Director Francis Gurry quoted in IP Watch. This will allow applicants to request a supplemental search from another patent office other than a designated international search authority. For example, an applicant could request an initial search from the USPTO and a supplemental search by the Chinese patent office. The goal of this proposal is to improve the quality of searches across multiple languages.