Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

The procedure of the PCT offers great advantages to the applicant, the Patent Office and the general public:

• The applicant has between eight and ten months more than with other procedure different from the PTC.
  

• You have the security that your international application, if it is adjusted to the fixed form by the PCT, it could not be denied by form reason or by any aforementioned Office during the national phase of the application procedure.
  

• According to the international search report, the applicant could operate in a reasonable way of probability that your invention turns registered; according the preliminary international examination report this probability is much better; and, during the preliminary international examination, the applicant could modify the international application in order to mend it, before the proceedings by the abovementioned Offices.

Contracting countries:

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belice, Brasil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, EEUU, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Santa Lucía, Trinidad and Tobago.

Cartagena agreement:

Algemeine Norm fur den Sortensrechtschutz des Züchters durch Beschluss 345 von den Cartagena Vertrag und Algemeiner Norm fur genetische Ressourcen durch Beschluss 391 von den Cartagena Vertrag.

Contracting countries:

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Paris Convention:

The person who or the assignee, filed regularly a Patent application, Utility model, design model or Industrial Model, trademark application, in any of Union countries, enjoy the priority right in order to file the application in other countries in the fixed period of time:

1. Twelve (12) months for the Patents and Utility models and
2. Six (6) months for the drawings or industrial models and trademarks.

These periods of time start since the filing date of the first application; the filing date is not considered in this period of time.

Contracting countries:

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, USA, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad y Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.