A (Patent Cooperation Treaty) PCT is a worldwide application administered by the World Intellectual Property Office that covers all of the approximately 140 countries that are part of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. It is a more streamlined and economical way of moving a patent application forward with broad international protection, and provides a period of 18 months (up to 30 months from the priority date established by a provisional patent application) before reaching the National Phase - at which time the decision is made as to the countries in which to seek patent protection.
Upon filing a PCT application, the International Search Authority (ISA) undertakes a search of the patent and journal literature. The ISA generates an International Search Report (ISR) and a written opinion on the patentability of the claims in the patent application. An ISR includes a list of citations which may impact the patentability of the claims. These citations are used by the member countries in the process of prosecuting the patent at the country-specific level during the National Phase.
