U.S. AND EL SALVADOR U.S. and El Salvador sign agreement to accelerate the granting of patent applications

The United States and El Salvador took an important step to boost innovation and protect intellectual property with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and El Salvador’s National Registration Center (CNR).

According to the U.S. Embassy, this new agreement introduces an expedited process that allows eligible patent applicants to quickly obtain a patent in El Salvador, taking advantage of a patent already granted by the USPTO.

The agreement to implement a new collaborative initiative for Accelerated Patent Grant (APG) was signed remotely by Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and Camilo Trigueros, Executive Director of the NRC.

However, it was the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, William Duncan, and the executive director of the CNR, Camilo Trigueros, who signed the document at the facilities of the Salvadoran institution.

During the signing, the ambassador acknowledged that the APG initiative reduces the administrative burden for local patent offices.

“This will allow companies to secure their intellectual property rights more quickly and reduce delays in the commercialization of new innovations,” he said.

For his part, Trigueros assured that the agreement will boost technological innovation and economic development in El Salvador.

“This is a historic day for the NRC, to have the presence of Ambassador Duncan and to sign a memorandum of understanding that will boost technological innovation and economic development by accelerating the granting of patents,” said the Salvadoran official.

Under the Accelerated Patent Granting process, an eligible patent applicant who has received a U.S. patent from the USPTO may request that the NRC grant a corresponding patent in Salvadoran territory at any time during prosecution and subject to El Salvador’s patent laws.

Source: Diario El Salvador