The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently announced the appointment of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). This makes the SAIP the 25th international search and examination authority in the world, and only the second in the Arabic-speaking part of the world, alongside the Egyptian Patent Office, which was appointed as an ISA and an IPEA in 2013.
The SAIP was unanimously appointed by all 193 WIPO members during the 55th session of the PCT Assembly held in Geneva from 6 to 14 July 2023. The appointment will become effective once the SAIP notifies WIPO that it is ready to begin operating as an ISA and IPEA.
International patent applicants in WIPO member states will be able to choose the SAIP as one of the search bodies authorized by WIPO to issue a search report. The SAIP has implemented the necessary quality standards, established electronic systems and developed strategic plans to recruit and train examiners to enable them to perform the search and examination process.