How Do You File A PCT Patent?
The Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, established uniform rules and regulations to file patent applications in several countries around the world in 1970. To patent inventions in more than one country, inventors typically file a PCT application with a PCT member country. Signatories of the PCT, called contracting states, accept and process PCT applications from inventors of other nationalities, provided at least one inventor is a member of a PCT contracting state. Once an inventor files a PCT application, the application goes through an international phase and national phase to determine patentability. Select where to file the PCT application. All PCT contracting states accept PCT applications at their designated receiving office. The United States designates its receiving office as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO. To file at a specific receiving office, at least one of the inventors must claim nationality in any of the contracting states. Some countries’ receiving
