What is a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application?

A Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application is an international patent filing system that is used to protect an invention in multiple countries. This system allows an applicant to file an international application that can be used to seek patent protection in the member countries of the PCT. The treaty covers over 150 countries and regions, including Florida. A PCT application allows an inventor to avoid duplicating the costly and time-consuming process of applying for protection in each country separately. It also allows an applicant to benefit from a unified search report that can help determine whether a patent should be applied for at all. The PCT application is made up of two parts, the first of which is the international application. This contains the description of the invention, the claims that the applicant wishes to protect, and a patent search report if the applicant so chooses. The second part is the international preliminary examination report (IPER). This is a legal opinion of the potential patentability of the invention and will refer to prior applications and patents. The PCT application provides the applicant with one year to decide which countries to pursue patent protection in. After the year is up, the applicant can enter the national phase necessary to consider such applications in each country with a validated patent.

Related FAQs

What is a patent information center?
What is a non-publication request?
What is the difference between a product and a process patent?
What is an inventor’s oath?
What is a PCT application?
Is it possible to patent software?
What is prior art?
Does a patent give you exclusive rights?
What is a plant patent?
How do I conduct a patent search?

What is a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application?

Related FAQs

Related Blog Posts