What date is accorded as the PCT international patent filing date?
The reply to this question depends on whether the requirements for according an PCT international patent filing date were fulfilled on the date on which the PCT international patent application was received by the receiving Patent Office or—following correction of defects in relation to those requirements—on a later date. The PCT international patent filing date will, in the former case, be the date on which the PCT international patent application was received by the receiving Patent Office and, in the latter case, the date on which the correction was received by the receiving Patent Office. Naturally, any correction has to comply with some conditions; in particular it has to be filed within a certain time limit. Does non-payment, incomplete payment or late payment of fees influence the PCT international patent filing date? No, however, those defects will eventually lead the receiving Patent Office to declare that the PCT international patent application is considered withdrawn. Altho
