El Salvador joins the U.S. Accelerated Patent Grant Program to boost innovation and protect intellectual Property

Por: Romero Pineda & Asociados

Last Tuesday, an important agreement was signed that marks a new chapter in the protection of intellectual property in El Salvador. Our country will join the United States Accelerated Patent Grant (APG) program, an advancement that will allow Salvadoran entrepreneurs and companies to obtain patents more quickly and efficiently, fostering technological development and innovation.

The agreement, a result of bilateral negotiations between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Registry Center of El Salvador (CNR), was remotely signed by Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Cynthia Henderson, and Camilo Trigueros, Executive Director of the CNR. Additionally, the signing was attended by Ambassador William Duncan, who highlighted that this new process would allow Salvadoran companies to secure their intellectual property rights more quickly, reducing delays in the commercialization of new innovations.

With this agreement, patent applicants in El Salvador who have already received a patent in the United States will be able to take advantage of this benefit to obtain their patent in the country more quickly, thereby consolidating the protection of their inventions and strengthening the innovation ecosystem in the region.