Hi! Thanks for the question.
The WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) is the
organization that handles such procedures in international patent
applications.
?The PCT is an international treaty, administered by the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), between more than 125 Paris
Convention countries. The PCT makes it possible to seek patent
protection for an invention simultaneously in each of a large number
of countries by filing a single ?international? patent application
instead of filing several separate national or regional patent
applications. The granting of patents remains under the control of the
national or regional patent Offices in what is called the ?national
phase?.?
The fee for filing such a patent application is discussed in the next paragraph.
?PCT applicants generally pay three types of fees with the filing of
their international applications: an international filing fee of 1,400
Swiss francs (the equivalent of approximately 1,100 US dollars
depending on the applicable exchange rate), a search fee which can
vary from approximately 180 to 1,900 US dollars depending on the
International Searching Authority chosen, and a small transmittal fee
which varies depending on the receiving Office. Because an
international patent application is effective in all PCT Contracting
States, you do not incur, at this stage in the procedure, the costs
that would arise if you prepared and filed separate applications for
all of those States; you have to pay only a single set of fees for
filing the international patent application with the PCT receiving
Office. These fees cover the filing, searching and publication of the
international patent application, and are payable in the currency, or
one of the currencies, accepted by the receiving Office.?
?The fees you will need to pay as you enter the national phase
represent the most significant pre-grant costs. They can include fees
for translations of your application, national (or regional) Office
filing fees and fees for acquiring the services of local patent
agents. In several Offices, national filing fees are lower for
international patent applications than they are for direct national
applications. You should also remember that in the case of all granted
patents, whether or not the PCT is used to obtain them, you will need
to pay maintenance fees in each country in order to keep the patents
alive.?
For more discussions about international patents, procedures and fees,
please read the WIPO PCT FAQ.
PCT FAQ
http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/basic_facts/faqs_about_the_pct.pdf
Please also view the following fee tables in our next link to get an
idea on how much you would have to pay in your area.
PCT Fees
http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/fees/
The ?Services for PCT Applicants? page provides a wealth of detailed
information about the application process. I suggest you read them
carefully before preparing and actually filing your documents.
Services for PCT Applicants
http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/applicants.html
Search strategy used:
Searched at the WIPO website
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
Regards,
Easterangel-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
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