Paul Bendemire, a NAIP senior patent engineer in Patent Engineering Deptartment I, has passed USPTO PA（patent agent）exam recently. NAIP international marketing division (IMD) arranged an interview with him on October 26, 2011（Wednesday）to enquire relevant issues and details about his champ experience in mastering this exam. There are three questions to solicit his exam experience. He also shares the tips of prepping the exam with honorable IP Observer readers.

Following the signing of the SIPO-JPO (Japan Patent Office) Joint Statement of Intent on Patent Examination Cooperation on October 18, the pilot project "Patent Prosecution Highway" was launched on November 1, 2011.

Patent applicants may file a PPH request with SIPO or JPO under PPH pilot project from November 1. The pilot project is scheduled to end on October 31, 2012, according to a principal of SIPO.

On September 1, 2011, the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Program was launched by TIPO and the USPTO. Both offices will mutually utilize examination and search results to process requests for accelerated examination. This pilot program will effectively improve examination quality and expedite examination procedure.

In the interest of expedited service and reduced paper printing costs, patent applicants claiming priority rights from the U.S. who have been issued priority documents in certified compact disk format by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are as of July 1, 2011 no longer required to provide paper copies of all priority documents. Such applicants need only to submit the USPTO-issued CD, along with photocopies of basic priority document information in both original-language and Chinese-translated versions. Further information on the new measure can be found at the following link
(Chinese language only): http://www.tipo.gov.tw

The most esteemed honor for inventors in Europe, the European Inventor Award, is annually presented to a handful of brilliant inventive minds. Since its launch in 2006, the European Inventor Award is presented by the European Patent Office, in collaboration with the European Commission and the Country holding the EU presidency at the time of the award ceremony.

The award brings tribute to inventive persons or teams whose revolutionary efforts offer answers to the challenges of life and hence add to improvement and affluence. It is a purely symbolic award and does not incorporate any prize money. Despite the fact that this award bears no direct financial gain to its recipients, the honor and prestige associated with it is significant.