The PCT Collaborative Search and Examination Pilot (CS&E) of the China, the United States, Europe, Japan and Korea Intellectual Property Offices was launched on July 1, 2018. For a period of two years, the number of pilot cases accepted by each Office is 100, the quota for each pilot year is about 50, and English PCT applications have priority in the pilot program.
After the pilot was launched, the reaction was good and the number of pilot cases exceeded 40 in November 2018. In order to ensure the effect, the CNIPA issued a notice on November 7 last year to suspend the CS&E request until PCT application in Chinese language are accepted. At present, the CNIPA has completed the preparation for PCT application in Chinese to participate in the pilot program, and decided to begin accepting such applications from March 1, 2019. The follow-up arrangements are as follows: 1. From March 1st to June 30th, 2019, applicants may file PCT applications in Chinese to CNIPA according to “PCT Collaborative Search and Examination Pilot (PCT CS&E) Pilot Project User Guide (Chinese PCT Application Edition)”. During this period, the English PCT application will not be accepted; the acceptance limit is 10 pieces, and each applicant is limited to 2 pieces. 2. The applicant is required to submit an English translation of the Chinese PCT application at the time of filing the Chinese PCT application or within one month, and to ensure the quality of the translation. Subject to the quota of this pilot, those who submit an English translation meeting the quality requirements earlier will be given priority to participate in the pilot program. 3. From July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, CNIPA will accept both Chinese and English PCT applications for participation in the pilot program. 4. If the number of pilot cases reaches the limit, the CNIPA will issue a notice to suspend or stop accepting relevant requests.
(Source: China Intellectual Property Network)