Patent Cooperation Treaty Kit—Table of contents

Introduction: Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)—International patent applications

A patent application is considered to be "international" when it is filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). By filing an international patent application under the PCT, you can seek patent protection for an invention simultaneously in a large number of countries.

The information in this kit has been compiled from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) resources and is simply an overview of the PCT filing system. You should not quote it or consider it a legal authority. We encourage you to visit the WIPO website for complete and current information.

Table of contents

• Overview of the Patent Cooperation Treaty system
• What is the Patent Cooperation Treaty?
• What is WIPO?
• The PCT procedure simplified
  • International phase
  • National phase
• Minimum requirements for filing
• Forms
• Fees
• How to file an international application
• The Canadian Intellectual Property Office
  • International phase
  • National phase
• Summary of links