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Making The World Your Oyster

Considerations and Strategies for International Patent Protection

Should We Go Global

•  You have decided that you have an invention worth patenting in the US. Congratulations!

•  Could this invention be worth patenting outside of the US?

GLOBAL MARKETING POTENTIAL

•  First and foremost, what is global potential of the invention?

•  Where could it be marketed and sold?

•  What would the commercial objectives be in each country?

•  Would it be useful to have a monopoly on this invention?

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USE OF GLOBAL PATENTS OR PENDING APPLICATIONS

•  How will the patents (or pending patent applications) be used?

•  Would they be used offensively, defensively, licensed?

•  Would it help to protect market share of a larger business division?

PRIORITY PATENT APPLICATION

To pursue international patent protection typically, a priority patent application is first filed in the home country.

•  This can be a regular patent application, or a provisional application

•  The priority application serves as a placeholder for any future international patent applications giving the priority date

OPTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL PATENT PROTECTION

•  File separately in each country of potential interest

•  File under the Paris Convention

•  File a regional patent application (e.g. EPO)

•  File a PCT application

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SINGLE COUNTRY PATENT APPLICATIONS

•  Applicant can file directly into the jurisdictions to seek patent protection

•  Applicant prepares the country specific forms and files an application to that’s country’s patent office

•  This could be done as a strategy alone or in conjunction with filing Paris Convention or PCT applications

SINGLE COUNTRY PATENT APPLICATIONS

•  Why file directly instead of using the Paris convention or PCT?

•  Filing the national phase application sooner will get the patent process resolved sooner

•  Cost Savings - By skipping the PCT fees (usually around $4-5K)

•  Customized applications by International Office

•  What are the drawbacks?

•  Coordinated filing in all countries at the very start of the process.

•  There are also issues in the US with the need for a foreign filing license.

REGIONAL PATENT APPLICATIONS

•  Examples include European Patent Office (EPO), African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO), the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI),and the Eurasian Patent Convention (EA)

•  Once a regional patent is validated annual maintenance fees, or annuities, will be due periodically. Maintenance fees vary considerably from country to country.

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REGIONAL PATENT APPLICATIONS

Why file directly instead of using the Paris convention or PCT?

•  If there is a particular region (e.g EPO) of interest

•  Filing the national phase application sooner will possibly get the patent process resolved sooner

•  Cost Effective – if invention is significant commercially in only a few countries or regions

•  Customized applications by International Office

EPO MEMBER STATES

38 European member states

•  Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom

•  European extension states Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro

•  Validation states -- Moldova, Morocco

FILING FOR PATENT PROTECTION UNDER THE PARIS CONVENTION

The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, signed in Paris, France, on 20 March 1883, was

one of the first intellectual property treaties. It established a Union for the protection of industrial property. The

Convention is currently still in force.

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FILING FOR PATENT PROTECTION UNDER THE PARIS CONVENTION

•  Typically,Applicant files a patent application in a single Paris Convention member country (usually required to be the country of residence of at least one of the inventors), which establishes a first or priority filing date for the application.

•  After filing the priority application, Applicants have up to 12 months to file directly into the foreign countries where they are seeking protection.

•  The form and translation requirements differ from country to country, but it is important to note that extensions beyond the 12 month deadline are NOT available.

FILING FOR PATENT PROTECTION UNDER THE PARIS CONVENTION

Why file using the Paris convention as opposed to the PCT?

•  There may be no choice. The Paris convention covers over 170 counties including some countries that are not covered by the PCT such as (Iraq)

•  Filing the national phase application sooner will possible get the patent process resolved sooner

•  Cost Effective - If significant commercially in only a few countries

•  Customized applications by International Office Gives the inventor one extra year to decide, allows for disclosure after priority application is filed.

THE PCT SYSTEM

•  For a fee, Applicant files a single application, reserving priority rights for about 30 months from the priority date giving an additional 18 months to decide on the countries of interest vs the Paris Convention

•  Similar to the Paris Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international treaty, it allows the filing of a single application in the applicant’s home country while preserving rights in other countries

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THE PCT SYSTEM •  Streamlined Patent System

•  Assists applicants in seeking patent protection internationally for their inventions

•  Sometimes helps patent offices with their patent granting decisions

•  Facilitates public access to a wealth of technical information relating to those inventions

•  By filing one international patent application under the PCT, applicants can simultaneously seek preserve the right to seek protection for an invention in 148 countries throughout the world.

Eligibility to file PCT Application

Applicant is entitled to file an international patent application if:

•  Applicant is a national or resident of a PCT Contracting State. While most countries are now members of the PCT, there are some that are not – for a current list of contracting states, http://www.wipo.int/pct/en pct_contracting_states.html

•  If there are several applicants named in the international application, only one of them needs to comply with this requirement

WIPO •  WIPO is the global forum for intellectual property services, policy,

information and cooperation. A self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 188 member states.

•  The basic functions of the International Bureau (IB) are to maintain the master file of all international applications and to act as the publisher and central coordinating body under the Treaty. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland performs the duties of the International Bureau.

•  The applicant has normally 2 months from the date of transmittal of the international search report to amend the claims by filing an amendment and may file a brief statement explaining the amendment directly with the International Bureau

•  The International Bureau will then normally publish the international application along with the search report and any amended claims at the expiration of 18 months from the priority date.

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PCT FAQs

Protecting your Inventions Abroad: Frequently Asked Questions About thePatent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

(status on April 2015)

INTRODUCTION

These frequently asked questions about the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) outline the PCT procedure from anapplicant’s perspective. For specific questions, further information and contact points, see Question 29.

Overview of the PCT System

1) What is the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)?

1

http://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html!

PCT FAQs

Protecting your Inventions Abroad: Frequently Asked Questions About thePatent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

(status on April 2015)

INTRODUCTION

These frequently asked questions about the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) outline the PCT procedure from anapplicant’s perspective. For specific questions, further information and contact points, see Question 29.

Overview of the PCT System

1) What is the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)?

1

PCT System Advantages The PCT gives the Applicant another year and half (vs the Paris Convention) to

consider the value and merits of the invention.

•  For the US, the filing of an international application will automatically constitute the designation of all contracting countries to the PCT on that filing date. In the same manner, the PCT enables foreign applicants to file a PCT international application, designating the United States of America, in their home language in their home patent office and have the application acknowledged as a regular U.S. national filing.

•  The delay also provides more time to determine the potential strategic value and commercial demand for the invention, the likelihood of its success in particular overseas marketplaces.

•  The national phase filing and prosecution costs can be delayed.

•  Furthermore, some of those costs are also reduced as all of the formal requirements the application is formatted into one version and will only have to be translated at the time of national phase filing.

PCT Contracting States and Two-letter Codes (148 on 1 April 2016)

1 Extension of European patent possible.2 May only be designated for a regional patent (the “national route” via the PCT has been closed).3 Validation of European patent possible for international applications filed on or after 1 March 2015.4 Validation of European patent possible for international applications filed on or after 1 November 2015.5 Only international applications filed on or after 19 August 2014 include the designation of Sao Tome and Principe for an

ARIPO patent.Where a State can be designated for a regional patent, the two-letter code for the regional patent concerned is indicated in parenthe-ses (AP = ARIPO patent, EA = Eurasian patent, EP = European patent, OA = OAPI patent).Important: This list includes all States that have adhered to the PCT by the date shown in the heading. Any State indicated in bolditalics has adhered to the PCT but will only become bound by the PCT on the date shown in parentheses; it will not be considered tohave been designated in international applications filed before that date.Note that even though the filing of a request constitutes under PCT Rule 4.9(a) the designation of all Contracting States bound by thePCT on the international filing date, for the grant of every kind of protection available and, where applicable, for the grant of bothregional and national patents, applicants should always use the latest version of the e-filing software used to generate the request form,or the latest versions of the request form (PCT/RO/101) and demand form (PCT/IPEA/401) (the latest versions are dated 1 July 2015).The request and demand forms can be printed from the website, in editable PDF format, at: http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/forms/, orobtained from receiving Offices or the International Bureau, or, in the case of the demand form, also from International Preliminary ExaminingAuthorities. Where possible, applicants are encouraged to use ePCT-Filing in order to benefit from the most up-to-date PCT data.

AE United ArabEmirates

AG Antigua and BarbudaAL Albania (EP)AM Armenia (EA)AO AngolaAT Austria (EP)AU AustraliaAZ Azerbaijan (EA)BA Bosnia and

Herzegovina1

BB BarbadosBE Belgium (EP)2

BF Burkina Faso (OA)2

BG Bulgaria (EP)BH BahrainBJ Benin (OA)2

BN Brunei DarussalamBR BrazilBW Botswana (AP)BY Belarus (EA)BZ BelizeCA CanadaCF Central African

Republic (OA)2

CG Congo (OA)2

CH Switzerland (EP)CI Côte d’Ivoire (OA)2

CL ChileCM Cameroon (OA)2

CN ChinaCO Colombia

CR Costa RicaCU CubaCY Cyprus (EP)2

CZ Czech Republic (EP)DE Germany (EP)DK Denmark (EP)DM DominicaDO Dominican RepublicDZ AlgeriaEC EcuadorEE Estonia (EP)EG EgyptES Spain (EP)FI Finland (EP)FR France (EP)2

GA Gabon (OA)2

GB United Kingdom (EP)GD GrenadaGE GeorgiaGH Ghana (AP)GM Gambia (AP)GN Guinea (OA)2

GQ Equatorial Guinea (OA)2

GR Greece (EP)2

GT GuatemalaGW Guinea-Bissau (OA)2

HN HondurasHR Croatia (EP)HU Hungary (EP)ID IndonesiaIE Ireland (EP)2

IL Israel

IN IndiaIR Iran (Islamic

Republic of)IS Iceland (EP)IT Italy (EP)2

JP JapanKE Kenya (AP)KG Kyrgyzstan (EA)KM Comoros (OA)2

KN Saint Kitts and NevisKP Democratic

People’s Republic ofKorea

KR Republic of KoreaKZ Kazakhstan (EA)LA Lao People’s Demo-

cratic RepublicLC Saint LuciaLI Liechtenstein (EP)LK Sri LankaLR Liberia (AP)LS Lesotho (AP)LT Lithuania (EP)2

LU Luxembourg (EP)LV Latvia (EP)2

LY LibyaMA Morocco3

MC Monaco (EP)2

MD Republic ofMoldova4

ME Montenegro1

MG MadagascarMK The former

Yugoslav Republicof Macedonia (EP)

ML Mali (OA)2

MN MongoliaMR Mauritania (OA)2

MT Malta (EP)2

MW Malawi (AP)MX MexicoMY MalaysiaMZ Mozambique (AP)NA Namibia (AP)NE Niger (OA)2

NG NigeriaNI NicaraguaNL Netherlands (EP)2

NO Norway (EP)NZ New ZealandOM OmanPA PanamaPE PeruPG Papua New GuineaPH PhilippinesPL Poland (EP)PT Portugal (EP)QA QatarRO Romania (EP)RS Serbia (EP)RU Russian

Federation (EA)RW Rwanda (AP)SA Saudi ArabiaSC SeychellesSD Sudan (AP)SE Sweden (EP)SG Singapore

SI Slovenia (EP)2

SK Slovakia (EP)SL Sierra Leone (AP)SM San Marino (EP)SN Senegal (OA)2

ST Sao Tome andPrincipe (AP5)

SV El SalvadorSY Syrian Arab RepublicSZ Swaziland (AP)2

TD Chad (OA)2

TG Togo (OA)2

TH ThailandTJ Tajikistan (EA)TM Turkmenistan (EA)TN TunisiaTR Turkey (EP)TT Trinidad and TobagoTZ United Republic of

Tanzania (AP)UA UkraineUG Uganda (AP)US United States of

AmericaUZ UzbekistanVC Saint Vincent and

the GrenadinesVN Viet NamZA South AfricaZM Zambia (AP)ZW Zimbabwe (AP)

http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/pct_contracting_states.html!

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PCT Timeline

PCT INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATION PROCESS

•  The “International Searching Authority” (ISA) identifies the published patent documents and technical literature (“prior art”) which may have an influence on whether the invention is patentable, and establishes a written opinion on the invention’s potential patentability.

•  Applicant will received a preliminary evaluation in the form of a search report and opinion (ISR) giving Applicant the option to comment and amend claims to strengthen patentability as well understand the landscape of the depth and breadth of prior art.

•  After the expiration of 18 months from the earliest filing date, the content of the international application is disclosed to the world.

•  For a minor additional fee and within 19 months of the claimed priority date, Applicant may file a request (called a Chapter II Demand) to have a more thorough examination where an applicant may file a “demand” to have its application examined by an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) which will prepare an International Preliminary Examination Report (IPER), including an additional search and written opinion as to novelty, inventive step, and utility of the invention.

Choosing an ISA in RO/US

ISA/US! US Patent Office!

ISA/EP ! European Patent Office!

ISA/KR ! Korean Patent office!

ISA/AU ! Australian Patent office!

ISA/RU ! Russian Patent office!

ISA/IL ! Israeli Patent office!

ISA/JP  ! Japanese Patent Office!

ISA/SG ! Singapore Patent office!

Since April 1, 2016, US filers will be able to choose from eight (8) International Searching Authorities:!

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ISA Cost Comparisons

•  $2097 – EP, $2080 – US (large entity), $1578 – SG, $1560 – AU, $1295 – JP, $1120 – KR, $1040 – US (small entity, $912 – IL, $520 – US (micro entity), $388 – RU

ADVANTAGES of THE PCT Search and Opinion Process

•  These reports can give an early indication of the likelihood of success

•  Additionally submitting informal written comments addressing or rebutting any unfavorable reasoning and conclusions set forth starts the prosecution record

•  Although the patent offices of individual countries have no obligation to consider the file history or be bound by any opinions, many countries do for efficiency

•  The information from the search report can also inform Applicant, the likelihood of obtaining a patent grant in a particular country, prior to filing national-phase patent applications

Disadvantages

•  Arguments and amendments that might be beneficial in one country might be detrimental in other so that PCT prosecution record can become a double-edged sword

•  Filing fees ($4-5K)

•  There are costs associated with responding to any search report and written opinion

•  A particular country’s patent office is not bound to agree with the opinion

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NATIONAL PHASE FILINGS •  30 months (31 months in some countries) after the priority date of

the PCT application (or of the PCT application itself if no Paris Convention priority is claimed), an application must enter the national phase in each country or region of interest.

•  For example, a PCT applicant interested in Europe, Brazil and China would ensure that the Brazillian and Chinese applications were filed within 30 months of the priority date, and that the European application was filed within 31 months of the priority date.

•  It is important to note, however, that you do NOT have to wait for the expiration of 30 months from the earliest filing date of your patent application (“priority date”) before you enter the national phase – you can always request an early entry into the national phase.

MARKETING POTENTIAL IN CERTAIN COUNTRIES OR REGIONS

•  What is the marketing potential of the invention in a particular country of interest?

•  As it can take a few years for a patent to issue, is there value to having a pending patent application in a particular country of interest?

•  Is patent protection needed in every country in which the invention might be marketed?

•  For some countries, would it be better to forgo the patent process and just be the first to market?

PATENTING IN SPECIFIC REGIONS OR COUNTRIES

•  What does the patenting process in the country/region entail?

•  What are the differences in patentablity (novelty, industrial applicability, non-obviousness) requirements in another country of potential interest?

•  What is the typical timeline for obtaining a patent?

•  What is the value of a pending patent application?

•  What are the costs of obtaining a patent?

•  What are the costs of enforcement?

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CONCLUSION

Maximizing your return from a global patent portfolio is balancing act between timing, resource management, global conditions and a little luck as well. Good planning and early consideration of the multiple factors involved will increase

your chances of success.

States Party to the PCT and the Paris Convention and Members of the World Trade Organization1

(status on 18 January 2016)

States/Members PCT (148)

Paris (176)

WTO2 (162)

States/Members PCT Paris WTO

Albania (AL) X X X Canada (CA) X X X

Algeria (DZ) X X – Central African Republic (CF) X X X

Andorra (AD) – X – Chad (TD) X X X

Angola (AO) X X X Chile (CL) X X X

Antigua and Barbuda (AG) X X X China (CN) X3 X3,4 X

Argentina (AR) – X X Colombia (CO) X X X

Armenia (AM) X X X Comoros (KM) X X –

Australia (AU) X X X Congo (CG) X X X

Austria (AT) X X X Costa Rica (CR) X X X

Azerbaijan (AZ) X X – Côte d’Ivoire (CI) X X X

Bahamas (BS) – X – Croatia (HR) X X X

Bahrain (BH) X X X Cuba (CU) X X X

Bangladesh (BD) – X X Cyprus (CY) X X X

Barbados (BB) X X X Czech Republic (CZ) X X X

Belarus (BY) X X – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (KP)

X

X

–

Belgium (BE) X X X Democratic Republic of the Congo (CD)

–

X

X

Belize (BZ) X X X Denmark (DK) X X X

Benin (BJ) X X X Djibouti (DJ) – X X

Bhutan (BT) – X – Dominica (DM) X X X

Bolivia (Plurinational State of) (BO)

– X X Dominican Republic (DO) X X X

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA) X X – Ecuador (EC) X X X

Botswana (BW) X X X Egypt (EG) X X X

Brazil (BR) X X X El Salvador (SV) X X X

Brunei Darussalam (BN) X X X Equatorial Guinea (GQ) X X –

Bulgaria (BG) X X X Estonia (EE) X X X

Burkina Faso (BF) X X X European Union (EU) – – X

Burundi (BI) – X X Fiji (FJ) – – X

Cabo Verde (CV) – – X Finland (FI) X X X

Cambodia (KH) – X X France (FR) X X X

Cameroon (CM) X X X Gabon (GA) X X X

[continued on next page]

States Party to the PCT and the Paris Convention and Members of the World Trade Organization

(status on 18 January 2016)

States/Members PCT Paris WTO States/Members PCT Paris WTO

Gambia (GM) X X X Lebanon (LB) – X –

Georgia (GE) X X X Lesotho (LS) X X X

Germany (DE) X X X Liberia (LR) X X –

Ghana (GH) X X X Libya (LY) X X –

Greece (GR) X X X Liechtenstein (LI) X X X

Grenada (GD) X X X Lithuania (LT) X X X

Guatemala (GT) X X X Luxembourg (LU) X X X

Guinea (GN) X X X Macao, China (MO) – –4 X

Guinea–Bissau (GW) X X X Madagascar (MG) X X X

Guyana (GY) – X X Malawi (MW) X X X

Haiti (HT) – X X Malaysia (MY) X X X

Holy See (VA) – X – Maldives (MV) – – X

Honduras (HN) X X X Mali (ML) X X X

Hong Kong, China (HK) –3 –3 X Malta (MT) X X X

Hungary (HU) X X X Mauritania (MR) X X X

Iceland (IS) X X X Mauritius (MU) – X X

India (IN) X X X Mexico (MX) X X X

Indonesia (ID) X X X Monaco (MC) X X –

Iran (Islamic Republic of) (IR) X X – Mongolia (MN) X X X

Iraq (IQ) – X – Montenegro (ME) X X X

Ireland (IE) X X X Morocco (MA) X X X

Israel (IL) X X X Mozambique (MZ) X X X

Italy (IT) X X X Myanmar (MM) – – X

Jamaica (JM) – X X Namibia (NA) X X X

Japan (JP) X X X Nepal (NP) – X X

Jordan (JO) – X X Netherlands (NL) X X X

Kazakhstan (KZ) X X X New Zealand (NZ) X X X

Kenya (KE) X X X Nicaragua (NI) X X X

Kuwait (KW) – X X Niger (NE) X X X

Kyrgyzstan (KG) X X X Nigeria (NG) X X X

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LA)

X

X

X

Norway (NO) X X X

Latvia (LV) X X X Oman (OM) X X X

[continued on next page]

States Party to the PCT and the Paris Convention and Members of the World Trade Organization

(status on 18 January 2016)

States/Members PCT Paris WTO States/Members PCT Paris WTO

Pakistan (PK) – X X Sri Lanka (LK) X X X

Panama (PA) X X X Sudan (SD) X X –

Papua New Guinea (PG) X X X Suriname (SR) – X X

Paraguay (PY) – X X Swaziland (SZ) X X X

Peru (PE) X X X Sweden (SE) X X X

Philippines (PH) X X X Switzerland (CH) X X X

Poland (PL) X X X Syrian Arab Republic (SY) X X –

Portugal (PT) X X X Taiwan Province of China (TW)5

–

–

X

Qatar (QA) X X X Tajikistan (TJ) X X X

Republic of Korea (KR) X X X Thailand (TH) X X X

Republic of Moldova (MD) X X X The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MK)

X

X

X

Romania (RO) X X X Togo (TG) X X X

Russian Federation (RU) X X X Tonga (TO) – X X

Rwanda (RW) X X X Trinidad and Tobago (TT) X X X

Saint Kitts and Nevis (KN) X X X Tunisia (TN) X X X

Saint Lucia (LC) X X X Turkey (TR) X X X

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VC)

X

X

X

Turkmenistan (TM) X X –

Samoa (WS) – X X Uganda (UG) X X X

San Marino (SM) X X – Ukraine (UA) X X X

Sao Tome and Principe (ST) X X – United Arab Emirates (AE) X X X

Saudi Arabia (SA) X X X United Kingdom (GB) X X X

Senegal (SN) X X X United Republic of Tanzania (TZ)

X

X

X

Serbia (RS) X X – United States of America (US) X X X

Seychelles (SC) X X X Uruguay (UY) – X X

Sierra Leone (SL) X X X Uzbekistan (UZ) X X –

Singapore (SG) X X X Vanuatu (VU) – – X

Slovakia (SK) X X X Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (VE)

– X X

Slovenia (SI) X X X Viet Nam (VN) X X X

Solomon Islands (SB) – – X Yemen (YE) – X X

South Africa (ZA) X X X Zambia (ZM) X X X

Spain (ES) X X X Zimbabwe (ZW) X X X

1. Under PCT Rule 4.10(a), it is possible to claim in an international application the priority of one or more earlier applications filed in or

for any country party to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, or in or for any Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that is not party to that Convention.

2. WTO Members cannot necessarily become party to the Paris Convention or the PCT. 3. China has notified the Director General of WIPO that the Paris Convention and the PCT apply also to Hong Kong, China. 4 China has notified the Director General of WIPO that the Paris Convention applies also to Macao, China. 5. Also referred to by the WTO as “Chinese Taipei” or “Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu”.

PCT Contracting States and Two-letter Codes (148 on 1 April 2016)

1 Extension of European patent possible.2 May only be designated for a regional patent (the “national route” via the PCT has been closed).3 Validation of European patent possible for international applications filed on or after 1 March 2015.4 Validation of European patent possible for international applications filed on or after 1 November 2015.5 Only international applications filed on or after 19 August 2014 include the designation of Sao Tome and Principe for an

ARIPO patent.Where a State can be designated for a regional patent, the two-letter code for the regional patent concerned is indicated in parenthe-ses (AP = ARIPO patent, EA = Eurasian patent, EP = European patent, OA = OAPI patent).Important: This list includes all States that have adhered to the PCT by the date shown in the heading. Any State indicated in bolditalics has adhered to the PCT but will only become bound by the PCT on the date shown in parentheses; it will not be considered tohave been designated in international applications filed before that date.Note that even though the filing of a request constitutes under PCT Rule 4.9(a) the designation of all Contracting States bound by thePCT on the international filing date, for the grant of every kind of protection available and, where applicable, for the grant of bothregional and national patents, applicants should always use the latest version of the e-filing software used to generate the request form,or the latest versions of the request form (PCT/RO/101) and demand form (PCT/IPEA/401) (the latest versions are dated 1 July 2015).The request and demand forms can be printed from the website, in editable PDF format, at: http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/forms/, orobtained from receiving Offices or the International Bureau, or, in the case of the demand form, also from International Preliminary ExaminingAuthorities. Where possible, applicants are encouraged to use ePCT-Filing in order to benefit from the most up-to-date PCT data.

AE United ArabEmirates

AG Antigua and BarbudaAL Albania (EP)AM Armenia (EA)AO AngolaAT Austria (EP)AU AustraliaAZ Azerbaijan (EA)BA Bosnia and

Herzegovina1

BB BarbadosBE Belgium (EP)2

BF Burkina Faso (OA)2

BG Bulgaria (EP)BH BahrainBJ Benin (OA)2

BN Brunei DarussalamBR BrazilBW Botswana (AP)BY Belarus (EA)BZ BelizeCA CanadaCF Central African

Republic (OA)2

CG Congo (OA)2

CH Switzerland (EP)CI Côte d’Ivoire (OA)2

CL ChileCM Cameroon (OA)2

CN ChinaCO Colombia

CR Costa RicaCU CubaCY Cyprus (EP)2

CZ Czech Republic (EP)DE Germany (EP)DK Denmark (EP)DM DominicaDO Dominican RepublicDZ AlgeriaEC EcuadorEE Estonia (EP)EG EgyptES Spain (EP)FI Finland (EP)FR France (EP)2

GA Gabon (OA)2

GB United Kingdom (EP)GD GrenadaGE GeorgiaGH Ghana (AP)GM Gambia (AP)GN Guinea (OA)2

GQ Equatorial Guinea (OA)2

GR Greece (EP)2

GT GuatemalaGW Guinea-Bissau (OA)2

HN HondurasHR Croatia (EP)HU Hungary (EP)ID IndonesiaIE Ireland (EP)2

IL Israel

IN IndiaIR Iran (Islamic

Republic of)IS Iceland (EP)IT Italy (EP)2

JP JapanKE Kenya (AP)KG Kyrgyzstan (EA)KM Comoros (OA)2

KN Saint Kitts and NevisKP Democratic

People’s Republic ofKorea

KR Republic of KoreaKZ Kazakhstan (EA)LA Lao People’s Demo-

cratic RepublicLC Saint LuciaLI Liechtenstein (EP)LK Sri LankaLR Liberia (AP)LS Lesotho (AP)LT Lithuania (EP)2

LU Luxembourg (EP)LV Latvia (EP)2

LY LibyaMA Morocco3

MC Monaco (EP)2

MD Republic ofMoldova4

ME Montenegro1

MG MadagascarMK The former

Yugoslav Republicof Macedonia (EP)

ML Mali (OA)2

MN MongoliaMR Mauritania (OA)2

MT Malta (EP)2

MW Malawi (AP)MX MexicoMY MalaysiaMZ Mozambique (AP)NA Namibia (AP)NE Niger (OA)2

NG NigeriaNI NicaraguaNL Netherlands (EP)2

NO Norway (EP)NZ New ZealandOM OmanPA PanamaPE PeruPG Papua New GuineaPH PhilippinesPL Poland (EP)PT Portugal (EP)QA QatarRO Romania (EP)RS Serbia (EP)RU Russian

Federation (EA)RW Rwanda (AP)SA Saudi ArabiaSC SeychellesSD Sudan (AP)SE Sweden (EP)SG Singapore

SI Slovenia (EP)2

SK Slovakia (EP)SL Sierra Leone (AP)SM San Marino (EP)SN Senegal (OA)2

ST Sao Tome andPrincipe (AP5)

SV El SalvadorSY Syrian Arab RepublicSZ Swaziland (AP)2

TD Chad (OA)2

TG Togo (OA)2

TH ThailandTJ Tajikistan (EA)TM Turkmenistan (EA)TN TunisiaTR Turkey (EP)TT Trinidad and TobagoTZ United Republic of

Tanzania (AP)UA UkraineUG Uganda (AP)US United States of

AmericaUZ UzbekistanVC Saint Vincent and

the GrenadinesVN Viet NamZA South AfricaZM Zambia (AP)ZW Zimbabwe (AP)