A-Z of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

Abstract

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and offers patent applicants an advantageous route for obtaining patent protection internationally.Since entering into force in 1978, the PCT has served as an alternative to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883) for acquiring patent rights in different countries. The principal objective of the PCT is, by simplification leading to more effectiveness and economy, to improve on the interests of the users of the patent system and the Offices which have responsibility for administering the previously established means of applying in several countries for patent protection for inventions. The progress of the PCT demonstrates the certainty that many more countries, developing as well as developed, will become party to the PCT in the years ahead and that its use, evidenced by the number of applications filed, will continue to increase significantly. Statistical indications of this success can be found in this document.