In reference to the patent: WO 2013/160573 A1
Why has the examiner has not indicated the Tunisian patent TN2010/0509 as a reference like the others?
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From what I can tell, the Tunisian patent search is at the Institut National de la Normalisation et de la Propriété Industrielle (INNORPI) but the search is only available in French. Could you post a link to the Tunisian patent?– ParkerCommented Jul 28, 2015 at 11:40
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1 Answer
This article from the European Patent Office indicates that Tunisia is not an EPO member state, and only in July 2014 was there an agreement formed (not ratified) between Tunisia and EPO:
Under the terms of the agreement, signed in Munich on 3 July [2014], European patent applicants and proprietors will be able to validate the legal effects of their European patents and applications on Tunisian territory, even though Tunisia is not an EPO member state. Validated European patent applications and patents will have the same legal effect as Tunisian national applications and patents, and will be subject only to Tunisian patent legislation. The agreement has to be ratified before it can enter into force.
The article goes on to mention that the group has been working on this agreement since 2004. The WIPO application you mention has a priority date from 2012, and pre-dates the agreement.
I'm certain there are some more specific answers to this question, it depends on how deeply you want to dig into the WIPO patent legislation.