The Catalogue of Differing Practices (CDP) is a tool aimed at identifying the differences in patent examination practice in the Trilateral Offices, as well as in the practice of KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office) and SIPO (State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China). It is also a first step towards a reference guide which allows the reader to quickly understand the practice in the other offices without requiring a detailed knowledge of the underlying legislative systems.
Download the Catalogue of Differing Practices 2012
In 2012, the participating offices redrafted the part of the CDP that deals with prior art disclosures. The redrafting was done as a pilot project, to test how to make the CDP more user friendly and provide a quick overview of the differences in practice at the five offices.
Download the redrafted CDP section on prior art disclosures
The CDP is part of an ongoing process intended to support work sharing and operational practice convergence between the participating offices.