The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) recently announced that green patent applications are now eligible for “super speed” examination that provides examination results in just one month.

The special examination procedure applies to patent applications directed to several categories of technologies relating to the environment or “low-carbon green growth.”

To qualify for the super speedy examination, green patent applicants must request that a prior art search be conducted by one of the three search agencies officially sanctioned by KIPO.

According to the KIPO press release (see 10/20/09 item), the super speed system was to start on October 1 and will cut the already quick Korean timeline “from application to acquire a patent” from an average of 18 months (or three months for preferential examinations) to a stunningly short period:

Using the superspeed examination system . . . the period can be slashed to less than a month, the fastest examination period in the world.

Thanks to Stu Soffer for bringing this news to my attention. 

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