On Friday, October 10, the BRPTO published a Public Notice to accredit candidates for searchers “to define prior art for patent applications.” This initiative is part of the Office's ongoing efforts to reduce backlog and meet its two-year goal for rendering decisions on patent applications.

The Notice outlines a series of requirements for candidates, who must be individuals, not companies. Prerequisites include providing proof of experience in prior art patent searching, such as having completed the General Course on Intellectual Property and the Patent Information Search course, both offered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Furthermore, candidates must have academic background in one of the technological fields listed in the Notice and complete specific courses offered by the BRPTO Academy. The deadline for accreditation is December 12, 2025.

The outsourcing of searches is provided for in the National Intellectual Property Strategy (ENPI) for 2021-2030. A start date for the outsourced searchers has not yet been announced.

The full Notice (in Portuguese) may be accessed here, with further details available in the document under “Arquivos.”

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