Hands-on Training on Examination by practicing the skills and knowledge for Patent Examiners of Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT) Bangladesh
November 25, 2022
A training workshop for patent examiners of DPDT Bangladesh took place at Dhaka from October 16 to 19, 2022, with the assistance of the Japan Patent Office (JPO).
The objective of the workshop was to develop skills of the DPDT’s staff with respect to utilizing examination work-products from other national phases. Work sharing that leverages on examination work done by other offices while observing the specifics of the national legal framework is an extremely efficient and effective approach for offices with limited examination resources.
About the workshop
WIPO had organized an introductory online training for patent examiners of DPDT Bangladesh from March 13 to 16, 2022, since the pandemic situation did not permit to carry out the physical training in the premises of DPDT at that time. The online training enabled the office staff to prepare for the onsite training properly.
The focus of this hands-on workshop was the examination of foreign applications pending at DPDT by practicing the skills and knowledge outlined in the introductory online workshop in March. This workshop treated actual cases to complement theoretical presentations at the introductory training.
Mr. Tomoki Ishizaka, Deputy Director, Examination Policy Planning Office, Administrative Affairs Division, Japan Patent Office made a virtual presentation including access to One Portal Dossier via J-PlatPat on the second day of the workshop.
The office staff very actively participated in this face-to-face training, and wished it could be continued. By treating pending applications, the workshop provided the opportunity to address issues with proper application or interpretation of the national law. The participants highly appreciated that the workshop permitted, in particular, the discussion of certain new provisions of the new 2022 Patent Act.
DPDT and WIPO, with assistance of JPO, also organized a separate seminar for patent attorneys on October 20, 2022. This seminar addressed some aspects of the potential role of patent attorneys in case Bangladesh would decide to join the PCT, as well as general benefits for Bangladesh to be expected with accession. It highlighted that the growing transparency of national phase examination not only enables examiners to easily access and use foreign examination work products more effectively, but also enables attorneys to access and potentially utilize responses of foreign attorneys to foreign examination reports, or generally monitor how examination of members of the patent family evolves in other jurisdictions. In their feedback collected by DPDT after the seminar more such opportunities were requested for discussing changes to be expected with accession.
