PCT - Patent Cooperation Treaty

There are two ways of requesting protection for an invention in other countries: directly in the country where protection is sought – via the CUP (Paris Convention) or through the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) for Patents and Petty Patents.

The PCT is a multilateral treaty that allows the requesting of patent protection for an invention simultaneously in a large number of countries, by means of the filing of a single International Patent Application. This treaty is administered by the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and possesses 148 signatory countries, including Brazil.

The principal aim of the PCT is to simplify and reduce the cost of protecting inventions when requested in different countries. Initially the patent is protected in the chosen countries and, following a certain term, the patent may be registered nationally, which is to say, country by country. In this way, it is possible to evaluate the results in terms of returns on investment and to analyze whether the registration of the patent in a given country is necessary or advantageous to the company.