www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
PCT Today:History, Status and Projected Growth
FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium on Reform of the Patent Cooperation Treaty
Where We Are and Where We Are Going
Nice, April 8, 2003
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Four Aspects to Look at:
Historical overview
Current status
Future projections
Some new - and not so new - directions
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
1978
June 1, 1978: the filing of the first PCT applications
• During that first year:459 applications received 19 applications published
10 staff members 18 Contracting States:
Brazil MadagascarCameroon MalawiCentral African Republic SenegalChad Soviet Union Congo SwedenFrance SwitzerlandGabon TogoGerman (Federal Republic of) United Kingdom Luxembourg United States of America
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
2002
• 114,048 PCT applications received
• 144,570 publications and republications
• 518 staff members
• 118 Contracting States
Contracting States(118 on 1 January 2003)
AlbaniaAlgeriaAntigua and BarbudaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBosnia and HerzegovinaBrazilBulgariaBurkina FasoCameroonCanadaCentral African Republic
ChadChina Colombia CongoCosta RicaCôte d'IvoireCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDemocratic People's Republic of KoreaDenmarkDominicaEcuadorEquatorial Guinea EstoniaFinlandFrance,
GabonGambiaGeorgia GermanyGhana GreeceGrenadaGuineaGuinea‑BissauHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIreland IsraelItalyJapanKazakhstanKenyaKyrgyzstan
LatviaLesotho LiberiaLiechtenstein LithuaniaLuxembourgMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMexicoMonacoMongoliaMoroccoMozambiqueNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaragua (6 March ‘03)NigerNorwayOman
Philippines PolandPortugalRepublic of Korea Republic of MoldovaRomaniaRussian FederationSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the Grenadines SenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSudanSwaziland
SwedenSwitzerlandTajikistan The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia TogoTrinidad and Tobago TunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited Republic of TanzaniaUnited States of AmericaUzbekistanViet NamYugoslaviaZambiaZimbabwe
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Legal Texts
Since 1970 the PCT has gone through:
Treaty: 4 versions
Regulations: 24 versions
Ongoing revision of:Administrative Instructions and about 200 PCT Forms
Guidelines for receiving Offices, for PCT Search and Examination
Bilateral Agreements with 11 national or regional Offices
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
114,048 international applications received in 2002
Growth in PCT Filings
Total: 797,768
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
PCT Filing by Five-year Periods(1978 - 2002)
2.0% 4.3%11.8%
25.5%56.4%
1978/1982
1983/1987
1988/1992
1993/1997
1998/2002
449,973
Total: 797,768
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Top 20 PCT Filers
1. PHILIPS ELECTRONICS (NL)
2. SIEMENS (DE)
3. BOSCH (DE)
4. ERICSSON (SE)
5. MATSUSHITA ELECTRONIC
INDUSTRIAL (JP)
6. SONY (JP)
7. NOKIA (FI)
8. 3M (US)
9. BAYER (DE)
10. PROCTER & GAMBLE (US)
11. BASF (DE)
12. INFINEON (DE)
13. MITSUBISHI (JP)
14. HONEYWELL (US)
15. INTEL (US)
16. MOTOROLA (US)
17. IBM (US)
18. QUALCOMM(US)
19. UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA (US)
20. SUN MICROSYSTEMS (US)
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Top 10 PCT Filers From Developing Countries
1. COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH (IN)
2. SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD. (KR)
3. BIOWINDOW GENE DEVELOPMENT INC. (CN)
4. LG ELECTONICS ING. (KR)
5. HUAEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. (CN)
6. RANBAXY LABORATORIES LIMITED (IN)
7. LG CHEM LTD. (KR)
8. SAE MAGNETICS (H.K.) LTD. (CN)
9. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE (SG)
10. PHILIPS ELECTRONICS SINGAPORE PTE LTD. (SG)
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
2300 1950 1570 1290 1150 1150
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
PCT FeesBasic & maximum designation fees
(including PCT-EASY reduction of CHF 200 since 1999)
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
2211 2130 1934 1760 1630
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Average Fee Per Application
(15%) (4%) (9%) (9%) (7%) Percentage decrease
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
180000
200000
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Others
EPO
Japan
United States
Projected PCT Applications
(7%) (10%) (10%) (9%) (6%) (6%) (6%) Percentage increase
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Combine: Basic fee 650 Designation fees 700 Handling fee 233 Total 1,583
Reduce as much as economically reasonable
Result: current proposal for flat international fee= 1,530
Reduction of 3.3%
Projected New Fee Structure Current Proposal For a Flat International Fee
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Conceptually:Flat fee= Basic fee unchanged
Handling fee unchanged4.76 designations
Average designations:
US: 4.99JP: 4.33EP: 4.82Other: 4.94
-------Total: 4.85
Impact of New Fee Structure
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
In comparison with handling fee:• previously discretionary (only payable with Ch.II
demand)• now moved forward and mandatory
In general:Minor impact: US and EPMore significant impact: JP
Impact of New Fee Structure
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
PCT Electronic Filing(PCT-SAFE)
Background: PCT-EASY software– approx. 40% of all PCT applications filed– 10,000 registered users– fee reduction available for use
PCT electronic filing project in 2001 “PCT-SAFE” (Secure Applications Filed Electronically) based on PCT-EASY and EPOline
– Promulgation of the PCT Administrative Instructions to enable PCT e-filing (Dec. 2001) – Agreed standards for the electronic filing and processing of PCT applications (Dec. 2001)– Pilot began Nov. 2002– E-filing at RO/IB before end 2003
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Strategic Management and Thinking
• Take the pulse of the PCT on a regular basis• Identify means to anticipate problems• Imagine solutions• Define best practices, methodologies• Identify trends and patterns and analyze them
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
External Legal Relations
• Establish enhanced channels of communication and exchanges with Offices
• Provide legal advice to Contracting States and potential Contracting States
• Increase outreach to PCT users, user groups and potential users
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Legal Services
• Explore innovative ways to continue to provide quality information to PCT users
• Expand the information resources on the PCT website• Provide legal advice on specific PCT cases• Develop new PCT training tools and methods• Continue to improve the quality and usability of PCT
publications• Focus on implementation of PCT Reform
www.wipo.int/pct/en FICPI/AIPLA Colloquium, April 2003
Operations
• Implement a new workflow structure• Collaborate on the development and deployment of an office
automation system (IMPACT) and PCT-SAFE electronic filing
• Prepare for the move to a new building• Support the continued growth of the receiving Office of the
International Bureau