What is the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)?

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international agreement between countries that is designed to make it easier and more efficient to get a patent protection in multiple countries. The PCT is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Washington is a member. The PCT allows inventors to simultaneously file one patent application in any of the PCT member states. The patent application is then examined by the patent office of each country that the application covers. A patent granted through the PCT will be binding in each of the countries in which the application was filed. The PCT can be very helpful in saving time and money. Because a single application covers multiple countries, inventors do not have to submit and pay for a separate application in each country. The PCT also allows inventors to delay the filing of their applications in certain countries for up to 30 months from the initial filing. This can give inventors time to see if the invention has commercial potential and to wait for the most opportune time to file for a patent, rather than having to file for a patent right away. If you have an invention and are trying to get international patent protection, the Patent Cooperation Treaty can help to save you time and money while giving you the opportunity to wait to file in a country until you have had the chance to evaluate the invention’s commercial potential.

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What is the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)?

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