Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Progress in Latin America: Uruguay Becomes the Newest Contracting Member

[ad_1]

In June, Uruguay committed to join the Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT” or “Treaty”), with unanimous approval from both houses of parliament.

The PCT—first signed in 1970, effective for 35 years and currently covering 157 contracting countries—is an essential milestone for the globalization of patent law and, consequently, for the protection of inventions at an international level. The Treaty allows patent applicants more time to seek protection for their industrial property rights in all signatory jurisdictions, while reducing costs and bureaucracy in doing so.

In Latin America, 14 countries are signatories to the Treaty, an adoption rate of 70% relative to all members of the region. Although this figure is lower than the estimated global adoption rate of 81.3%, the region has enormous potential for growth. According to an official report made available by WIPO in 2023, Latin America was responsible for originating 1,127 patent application filings through the PCT system, with Brazil leading the statistics, accounting for 548 filings with the INPI as the Receiving Body. This shows that the patent landscape in the region has ample opportunities for development, indicating a promising future for strengthening the patent system in Latin America.

It is in this context that unanimous approval for Uruguay becoming the 158th signatory to the Treaty is welcomed. According to WIPO statistics, Uruguay has the 92nd-highest number of patent applications filed each year, predominantly in the Life Sciences area (35.7% of all filings). It is therefore to be expected that more inventions in the area will be protected on the international stage—which, as a consequence of the nature of the patent system, also ramps up technological development in the sector.

The PCT system allows patent applications to be internationalized in a uniform and practical way. To do this, the applicant must, within 12 months of the earliest filing for the invention they are seeking to protect (i.e. the Priority), file an International Application before any of the Patent Offices that act as Receiving Offices, or before the International Bureau of WIPO.

After the International Filing, the International Search Authority (ISA)1 indicated by the applicant will provide the Priority Search Report, as well as a non-binding Opinion as to the patentability of the invention analyzed. The applicant may also request a Supplementary International Search and a Supplementary Patentability Opinion to be carried out by a second International Search Authority.

The international phase of the PCT System lasts around 18 months, which gives the Applicant a total of 30 months from the Priority Date to file for the National Phase before the patent office of another signatory country.

The PCT procedure offers clear advantages to the applicant for global protection of the invention:

[ad_1]

Source link : https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=321f383e-d1c4-4232-998f-e1593777eeb0 Author : Publish date : 2024-07-08 03:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source .

April 2025
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Progress in Latin America: Uruguay Becomes the Newest Contracting Member

American Library Association Accredits University College London, First Time Ever ALA Has Granted Accreditation to a Program Outside North America

Weak mag. 2.7 earthquake – North Pacific Ocean, 37 km southwest of Zacatecoluca, La Paz, El Salvador, on Monday, Jul 22, 2024, at 05:00 pm (El Salvador time) – VolcanoDiscovery

Weak mag. 2.7 earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, 37 km southwest of Zacatecoluca, La Paz, El Salvador, on Monday, Jul 22, 2024, at 05:00 pm (El Salvador time) - VolcanoDiscovery

interCaribbean Airways introduces the launch of non-stop flights between San Juan and Anguilla: What new updates you need to know? – Travel And Tour World

Argentina celebrate Copa win without Messi – ESPN

American beauty queen charged in ex-NFL husband’s murder plot granted release from Bahamas prison: report – FOX 5 Atlanta

Barbados ex-minister sentenced to two years in U.S. for laundering bribes – Reuters

New U.S. Consul General Appointed to Bermuda – Bernews

USMNT vs. Bolivia: Match Recap & Highlights – US Soccer

Brazil’s Economic Optimism Meets Political Complexity – Wilson Center

Canada hits back at US car tariffs with reciprocal measures – BBC

Waystone appoints Alaina Danley as Country Head of Cayman Islands – Cayman Compass

Chile – Copper, Nitrates, Lithium – Britannica

Categories

Archives