PCT Update 2013 Friday September 27, 2013 10.00-10.30 Geneva time Emir Ali Jazairy Senior Counsellor, PCT International Cooperation Division [email protected].
Download ReportTranscript PCT Update 2013 Friday September 27, 2013 10.00-10.30 Geneva time Emir Ali Jazairy Senior Counsellor, PCT International Cooperation Division [email protected].
PCT Update 2013 Friday September 27, 2013 10.00-10.30 Geneva time Emir Ali Jazairy Senior Counsellor, PCT International Cooperation Division [email protected] 2 PCT Update 2013 Update on PCT Membership and Statistics PCT Rule Changes (January 1, 2013) PCT Brief ePCT Licensing of PCT Applications Third Party Observations PCT-PPH Arbitration and Mediation Center Fee Reductions Misleading WIPO Invitations PCT Working Group Supplementary International Search PCT Training Options 3 148 PCT Contracting States (1) 4 148 PCT Contracting States (2) Albania Algeria Angola Antigua and Barbuda Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic People's Republic of Korea Denmark Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Estonia Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Ireland Israel Italy Japan Kazakhstan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Lao People’s Dem Rep. Latvia Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritania Mexico Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Panama Papua New Guinea Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Korea Republic of Moldova Romania Rwanda Russian Federation Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino Sao Tomé e Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Tajikistan Thailand The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Togo Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United Republic of Tanzania United States of America Uzbekistan Viet Nam Zambia Zimbabwe 5 Countries not yet PCT Contracting States Afghanistan Andorra Argentina Bahamas Bangladesh Bhutan Bolivia Burundi Cambodia Cape Verde Democratic Republic of Congo Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Fiji Guyana Haiti Iraq Jamaica Jordan Kiribati Kuwait Lebanon Maldives Marshall Islands Mauritius Micronesia Myanmar Nauru Nepal Pakistan Palau Paraguay Samoa Solomon Islands Somalia South Sudan Suriname Timor-Leste Tonga Tuvalu Uruguay Vanuatu Venezuela Yemen (45) 6 PCT Applications (2012) 200000 180000 Record filings in 2012 160000 140000 120000 Over 195,000 applications filed Close to 7% increase over 2011 100000 80000 60000 40000 20000 0 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 7 Filings by Country of Origin (2012) 60000 Examples of increases in certain national Offices 50000 NL: +14% CN: +13.6% KR: +13.4% FI: +13.2% JP: +12.3% 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 US JP DE CN KR FR GB CH NL SE IT CA FI AU ES 8 Top 20 Fields of Technology (2012) Electrical machinery Digital communication Computer technology Medical technology Pharmaceuticals Transport Measurement Semiconductors Audio-visual technology Organic fine chemistry Engines, pumps, turbines Biotechnology Civil engineering Optics Telecommunications Basic materials chemistry Mechanical elements Other special machines Chemical engineering Handling 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 9 Top PCT Applicants (2012) 10 PCT Rule Changes 2013 Changes related to the America Invents Act in the US Corresponding PCT practice changes introduced on September 16, 2012 Applications can be filed in the name of an entity in all PCT Contracting States including the US (e.g., corporate applicant, university) Consequential changes to the Regulations were approved by the PCT Assembly in September 2012 and entered into force on January 1, 2013 11 PCT Brief New resource that contains a high-level overview of recent and future developments in the PCT http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/brief Particularly useful for managers and attorneys Hyperlinks to more in-depth information, databases, videos, FAQs, etc. Updated as significant changes occur Subscriptions to the PCT Brief mailing list http://www.wipo.int/lists/subscribe/pct-brief 12 ePCT (1) WIPO online service that provides secure electronic access to the files of PCT applications maintained by the International Bureau Two distinct modes Private services (WIPO user account, digital certificate) Public services (WIPO user account) 13 ePCT (2) – Main Features Up-to-date bibliographic data and status information View processing status of documents Uploaded documents are immediately visible in the file view Automatic generation of a signed cover letter for uploaded documents to comply with PCT Rule 92.1 requirement Manage access rights Download individual documents or packages Secure messaging for contact with WIPO Processing Team Leave private notes invisible to the IB and not appearing as part of the application file History of actions taken Customizable notification preferences (e-mail warnings) Range of online actions, e.g., withdrawals, Rule 92bis changes, filing of demands, etc. 14 ePCT (3) – Future Improvements Web-based filing Services for Offices including receiving Office hosting Look and feel of the interface including multiple languages Real-time credit card payment for all fee types 15 ePCT (4) - Training Webinars on ePCT over the past year Past recordings and presentations available from the PCT webinar archives http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/seminar/webinars/index.html 16 Licensing Indications Available since January 1, 2012 Applicants can indicate the availability of a PCT application for licensing On-line action in ePCT Form PCT/IB/382 “Request for indication of availability for licensing purposes” Can be submitted at any time prior to the expiration of 30 months from the priority date The licensing-related information will be Published in the application bibliographic data Searchable in PATENTSCOPE 17 Third Party Observations (1) Available since July 1, 2012 Allows third parties to submit prior art observations relevant to novelty and inventive step Limited to the international phase Objective is to provide national Offices with the most complete information possible on which to base their decisions 18 Third Party Observations (2) Main Features Can be submitted using ePCT or PATENTSCOPE (re-direct link to ePCT) Free-of-charge Third party identity may be withheld from the applicant and the public Submissions possible until the expiration of 28 months from the priority date Third party supplied documents will not be available via PATENTSCOPE but will be made available to International Authorities and national Offices 19 Third Party Observations (3) Role of the International Bureau Checks for spam Notifies the applicant of submission of observations Makes observations available in PATENTSCOPE Sends to national Offices observations, cited documents, and applicant responses 20 PCT-PPH (1) Accelerated processing in the national phase on the basis of a positive PCT work product Written opinion, IPRP Ch.I or Ch.II In 2012, 38 PCT-PPH pilots were active, with the participation of 21 Offices, including 14 International Authorities More information http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/filing/pct_pph.html 21 PCT-PPH (2) 22 PCT-PPH (3) Popular with PCT applicants Results in faster processing and grants in the national phase Participating offices are working on streamlining and simplifying the multitude of co-existing bilateral PPH arrangements, e.g., common requirements, forms, procedures, etc. 23 Arbitration and Mediation Center Fee Reductions (AMC) (1) 25% fee reduction for the AMC where at least one party to the dispute has been named as an applicant or inventor in a published PCT application Fee calculator http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/calculator/adr.jsp 24 Arbitration and Mediation Center Fee Reductions (2) 25 Misleading WIPO Invitations http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/warning/pct_warning.html WIPO has issued warnings regarding misleading invitations for payment of fees The following entities have also been informed IP Offices IP Associations Banking industry Government agencies Bring to the attention of WIPO and to consumer protection authorities instances of misleading invitations 26 27 28 PCT Working Group - May 2013 (1) Forum for Offices and governments to discuss and exchange views on improvements to the PCT system Two main outcomes from the May 2013 meeting Making available of the written opinion at 18 months (as of the publication date) Top-up searching during the international preliminary examining procedure (Ch. II) Uncover any prior art not available at the time of the international search Concerns particularly “secret” prior art which are patent applications published on or after the priority date of the PCT application but have an earlier priority date Not necessary if the IPEA believes that the top-up search would serve no useful purpose 29 PCT Working Group - May 2013 (2) Other proposals and issues requiring further discussion, consultation, and development http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/details.jsp?meeting_id=28622 PCT Sequence Listing Standard WIPO Standard ST.14 PCT Minimum Documentation PCT Fee Reductions Coordination of Technical Assistance PCT Kaizen PCT 20/20 Requirements/Procedures for ISA/IPEA Appointments Clarifying the Incorporation by Reference Procedure Mandatory Response to Negative Comments in the National Phase Formal Integration of the Patent Prosecution Highway into the PCT Mandatory Recordation of Search Strategy Collaborative Search and Examination (CSE) 30 Supplementary International Search PCT Working Group also discussed the supplementary international search system Introduced on January 1, 2009 Request a supplementary search by a different International Searching Authority Usage so far has been relatively modest Service currently offered by AT, EP, FI, SE, RU and XN 31 PCT Training Options http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/ PCT Distance Learning Course available in all 10 PCT publication languages PCT Webinars Free updates on developments in PCT procedures Available upon request for companies or law firms On-site PCT seminars and training sessions Annual advanced PCT seminar at WIPO in October 32 Questions / Feedback PCT Outreach and User Relations Section E-mail: [email protected] PCT Information Service Telephone: (+41-22) 338 83 38 Facsimile: (+41-22) 338 83 39 E-mail: [email protected] Today’s webinar and slides will be available for download from the PCT webinar page over the next few days: http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/seminar/webinars/index.html Survey on today’s webinar presentation