(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC), in cooperation with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), organised a training programme on international requests on the electronic system of Patent Cooperation Treaty (ePCT).
The ePCT is a new online service that makes the process of international patent application filing easier and more efficient, and offers users and national patent offices a number of advantages.
The training programme comes within the framework of the Ministry's efforts to increase the number of trained personnel on the use of ePCT, improve the efficiency and readiness of employees, enhance their capabilities and competence in dealing with ePCT, and identify all procedures that would optimize the system and ensure a smooth and efficient workflow and provide an ideal service for applicants.
The three-day programme, which saw the participation of 25 trainees from the Ministry's Intellectual Property Rights Protection Department, intellectual property agents and Qatar Foundation, organised a number of lectures, interactive discussion sessions and training workshops.
Dr Ali Jazairy, senior counselor at WIPO's PCT International Cooperation Division presented the segments of the training along with a number of directors of the ministry's Intellectual Property Rights Protection Department and a group of experts and legal consultants.
On its first day, the programme addressed a number of topics on the importance and advantages of PCT, the requirements for patent entry to the national phase, the role of the international reception desk in the State of Qatar to receive international applications for PCT.
An interactive session was held on the currently used mechanisms at the Intellectual Property Rights Protection Department. A SWOT analysis was used to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks to provide helpful perspectives to help find appropriate solutions. In addition, a training session was organized on the recent international requests on PCT for 2017 and 2018, and questions related to these requests.
The second day of the training programme dealt with PCT fundamentals in terms of procedures for receiving applications in accordance with the PCT administrative manual, which is adhered to by international reception offices. Two training workshops were then organised to inform the trainees about the mechanism for registering international applications using ePCT, and how to handle the international application by using the electronic system, reports QNA.
The training programme concluded on its third day by highlighting the PCT and how it could be used as a tool for business and technology transfer. A training workshop was organised on the reception offices and invitations sent to patent applicants to correct potential errors.
Two interactive sessions were held on the processing of applications using the ePCT system, and highlighting the process of how the international reception desk in the State of Qatar was launched to receive international applications through the ePCT. At the end of the training programme, the participants were handed certificates approved by WIPO. They praised the good organization, efficiency of the lecturers, importance of the program sessions, and in-depth discussions, training sessions and interactive activities that enhance the efficiency of the employees.
Qatar is the first country in the GCC to use this system to submit international applications in accordance with the provisions of PCT as an International PCT/RO receiving office that was launched in 2015 by the Intellectual Property Rights Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce. The system is used by a limited number of PCT member states.
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