PCT: Strategy and Practice

PCT Strategy and Practice, a first-of-its-kind book on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), furnishes an in-depth explanation of carrying out the treaty’s procedures, from filing a single international patent application to starting prosecution before a plurality of national Offices. The book provides unique strategy points for the applicant to choose between options at the various stages of the procedures.

Building from an authoritative overview of the PCT’s sources and how they link to form the legal basis for a complete procedure, the contributors shed light on the following practical details:

• complete details on filing under the PCT, including the means of filing, fee payments, and priority, both in general and in specific national patent Offices;
• strategy points for making decisions on options in procedures and for drawing attention to important issues;
• citations from the Practical Advices published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO);
• differences between several regional and national Offices, such as the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO);
• extensive treatment of remedies available in each procedure;
• guidance through the PCT-Patent Prosecution Highway (PCT-PPH); and
• extensive linking to international and national resources for the PCT.

With its wealth of guidance ranging from a broad introduction to specific procedural strategy details, this logically structured book will be invaluable in the everyday practice of patent attorneys, corporate counsel, and paralegals worldwide. It will also prove to be of great use to candidates preparing for exams where a profound knowledge of the PCT is required.