On September 25, 2018 on the margins of the 58th series of meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization, EAPO President Saule Tlevlessova and Acting Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) Kim Tae Man signed Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Cooperation and Memorandum of Understanding on the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).

In the course of the negotiations held following the signing of the memoranda the sides expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral cooperation that has developed between EAPO and KIPO in recent years, noting the great personal contribution of EAPO President Saule Tlevelssova in reviving the active dialogue between the offices and the role of KIPO Commissioner Sung Yunmo, currently holding another position due to new appointment, in the preparation of the memoranda for signing.

The parties identified priority areas for cooperation, including the study of approaches of the two offices to the consideration of applications in the field of chemistry and biotechnology, understanding of which is necessary in the light of mutual consideration of the results of the examination by PPH, as well as cooperation in the field of information technology and patent information.

EAPO representatives expressed interest in studying the KIPO search technology for chemical compounds, as well as the practice of implementing WIPO standards for information and documentation in the field of industrial property.

The Korean side noted the importance of cooperation with EAPO within the framework of the PPH program for its national applicants interested in protection of their inventions on the territory of the Eurasian region.