What is an international application?

An international application is a patent application that is filed with more than one patent office around the world. With the international application, a person can submit the same application to patent offices in multiple countries simultaneously, instead of filing a separate application in each country. This saves time, money and effort, while increasing the chances of obtaining a patent in multiple countries. In Washington, an international application must be filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). This treaty is an agreement between more than 150 countries, with each country agreeing to a common set of patent laws. When an international application is filed, it is sent to the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The WIPO handles all of the administrative work for the international application, such as sending the application to each country in the PCT. Once an application is accepted in the PCT, each individual country then decides if it wants to grant the patent. In Washington, the application will go through the United States Patent and Trademark Office for review and a decision. If the patent is approved, it will be granted in each country that accepted the international application. International applications are a great way for inventors to increase their chances of obtaining a patent in multiple countries. By filing an international application, inventors can save time, money and effort while having their application heard in many countries.

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What is an international application?

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