Guangdong Hosts Themed Event on Launching Patent Pre-Examination Services for Macao Innovation Entities

To further deepen exchanges and cooperation between Guangdong and Macao in the field of intellectual property and support the innovation-driven development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a themed event on launching patent pre-examination services for Macao innovation entities was held in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone on September 18.

The event announced the first batch of nine Macao record-filing entities, including the University of Macau. Among them, the Macau University of Science and Technology and 1V Technology (Macao) Co., Ltd. were issued the first batch of patent grant certificates under the Guangdong-Macao cross-border patent application fast pre-examination service mechanism. The relevant design patent applications took as little as three working days from acceptance to grant, marking a key step forward in cross-border intellectual property cooperation between Guangdong and Macao.

As international innovation and technology centers, Hong Kong and Macao possess world-class scientific research and innovation achievements. Focusing on the national strategy for building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangdong's intellectual property authorities took the lead nationwide in launching a patent pre-examination service mechanism for Hong Kong and Macao innovation entities, opening up a fast-track patent examination channel in the mainland for Hong Kong and Macao innovation entities. This has effectively promoted the integration of high-quality Hong Kong and Macao innovation resources into the country's overall development and provided strong support for the coordinated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Since the launch of the cross-border pre-examination service, as of the end of August, 43 Hong Kong and Macao innovation entities, including The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Macau, had completed pre-examination record filing. A total of 60 pre-examination applications had been received, 27 cases had been granted through accelerated examination after pre-examination, and the average patent grant time had been reduced by more than 80%.

Next, the Guangdong Intellectual Property Office will further deepen the regular exchange mechanism with Hong Kong and Macao intellectual property departments, make coordinated efforts in areas such as the launch and implementation of services and policy publicity and promotion, continue to strengthen intellectual property dialogue and cooperation in the Greater Bay Area, and empower the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with high-level intellectual property protection.