Legislative Changes Relating to The Appointment of Examiners

With effect from 8 April 2013, the following legislative changes have been made:

  • The definition of Examiner as provided in Section 2(b) of the Patents (Amendment) Act 2012 has come into operation ;
  • Rule 2(3) of the Patents Rules has been deleted.

With the change, Examiners will now be appointed instead of being prescribed in the Patents Rules. The existing Examiners – the Austrian Patent Office, the Danish Patent and Trademark Office and the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office – have been appointed as Examiners. The patent examiners in the IPOS Search & Examination Unit have similarly been appointed as Examiners.