The Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) is an intergovernmental organization for cooperation in the field of
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
s, created by the national
patent offices of the four
Visegrad countries, namely the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
.
The Agreement on the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI Agreement) was signed in
Bratislava on February 26, 2015. The Institute acts as an
International Searching Authority
The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international patent law treaty, concluded in 1970. It provides a unified procedure for filing patent applications to protect inventions in each of its contracting states. A patent application filed un ...
(ISA) and
International Preliminary Examining Authorities (IPEA) under the
Patent Cooperation Treaty
The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international patent law treaty, concluded in 1970. It provides a unified procedure for filing patent applications to protect inventions in each of its contracting states. A patent application filed und ...
(PCT).
According to Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister
Miroslav Lajčák
Miroslav Lajčák (born 20 March 1963) is a Slovak politician and diplomat, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. In addition, Lajčak also served as President of the United Nations General Assembly for the 72nd session ...
, the signature of the agreement on creating the Visegrad Patent Institute was an important milestone in the history of the
Visegrád Group
The Visegrád Group (also known as the Visegrád Four, the V4, or the European Quartet) is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to advance co-op ...
, the alliance between Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
See also
*
Nordic Patent Institute
The Nordic Patent Institute (NPI) is an intergovernmental organisation established by the governments of Denmark, Iceland and Norway.[Polish Patent Office
The Polish Patent Office (PPO) ( pl, Urząd Patentowy Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (UPRP)) is the patent office of Poland. It is based in Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa' ...](_blank)
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*{{official, http://www.vpi.int/index.php/en/
Intergovernmental organizations
Patent offices
International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authorities
Foreign relations of the Czech Republic
Foreign relations of Hungary
Foreign relations of Poland
Foreign relations of Slovakia
Central Europe
Czechoslovakia–Poland relations
Czech Republic–Poland relations
Czechoslovakia–Hungary relations
Poland–Slovakia relations
2015 in Europe