PCT filing with Professionals

WIPO PCT Application Filing is the submission of a single international patent application through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) managed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). With this system, an inventor or company can file a single application and obtain patent protection in more than 150 countries.

The PCT system is divided into two phases: the international phase, which deals with the filing of the application and centralised search, and the national phase filing, where the application is prosecuted in different jurisdictions. WIPO does not issue patents, but it eliminates the need for multiple national stages by integrating filing, search, publication, and optional preliminary examination.

Filing PCT is strategic as it is cost-effective and provides wide-ranging coverage for patents. It delays the requirement to file separate applications in different jurisdictions and provides up to 30 or 31 months to decide on the countries to apply for patent protection. This delay allows for an assessment of the commercial value and secures the necessary funding or partnership before incurring significant expenses on international filings.

The PCT System’s objectives is to streamline the first stage of securing an international patent and postpones the associated costs and complexity of several-country applications. Each PCT member state can be designated in one application, availing a shared application date, a single international prior art search, and all legal priority benefits.

The maintenance of sophisticated patent portfolios is further simplified. Applicants also have the option to obtain a Written Opinion from an International Searching Authority (ISA) which illustrates patentability challenges—novelty, inventive step, industrial applicability—providing preliminary assessment of these concerns. This is invaluable for devising filing strategies, claim amendments, or even eliminating costly iterations of weak inventions.

Furthermore, there is also the optional International Preliminary Examination (IPE) which strategically offers an additional non-binding patentability opinion. This adds more certainty and manoeuvrability prior to entering national phases.

PCT WIPO filings do not serve simply as an addendum. They are the backbone of any contemporary patenting system, granting protection for inventions universally while avoiding an overwhelming array of filings all at once. Of course, the main benefits are:

• Single Application Submission: Submit 1 application in 1 language, pay 1 fee, and gain access to over 150 member states.
• Deferred Costs: Slowed down payment of national filings and related costs by 30/31 months.
• Preserved Priority: Retains the priority date from the international application for all designated countries.
• Legal Clarity: Provides preliminary legal assessments on patentability through written opinion and search report.
• Commercial Strategy Alignment: Ensures sufficient time for R&D validation, market analysis and testing, and subsequent investment engagement.

Missing or poorly managing the timed process for PCT filing can result in a loss of rights across multiple countries, significant commercial harm, as well as competitive and legal disadvantages in international markets.

The WIPO PCT application is particularly advantageous for:

• Early-stage inventors and startups looking to expand internationally but needing time to determine target markets.
• Corporate R&D divisions pursuing monetisable innovations that require coordinated worldwide IP protection.
• Academic institutions seeking to commercialise their technologies through cross-border licensing or joint ventures.
• Patent portfolio managers aiming for sophisticated methods to manage multi-jurisdiction applications.

To apply for a PCT, the applicant must be a national or resident of a PCT member country. The first application can be a PCT application or can be lodged within a year of a national application to claim priority as per the Paris Convention.

The PCT filing system offers a diverse range of advantages at the procedural, legal, and strategic levels.

• One Filing, Global Reach: One application can grant coverage in more than 150 countries.
• Time & Budget Flexibility: Funding can be secured, products developed, and markets assessed within a time frame of up to 2.5 years.
• International Search Report (ISR): Obtained during early stages is the global prior art review.
• Legal Predictability: Optional International Preliminary Examination aids in refining plans while forecasting objections based on examiner feedback.
• Centralised Management: Decreased administrative workload combined with more efficient processes.

The WIPO PCT process strengthens decision quality, improves intellectual property enforcement posture, and integrates global IP domains with business development trajectories.

AnalystIP leverages foresight and precision to manage WIPO PCT application filings through a full-range legal and technical services framework. You are guided by our attorneys and patent strategists from drafting to completion of the international phase, ensuring your rights are actively preserved and fortified for subsequent national phase entry filings.

Our services include:

• PCT Application Drafting: Creation of applications meets minimum international legal and technical standards.
• Filing and Submission: Filing with prescribed receiving offices is done under full compliance with Article 11 and PCT regulations.
• ISA Coordination: Communicating with International Searching Authorities for prompt ISR and Written Opinion issuance.
• International Preliminary Examination: Strategic positioning for PCT filings through IPE requests preparations.
• Strategic Jurisdiction Mapping: Targeting countries for national phase entry and estimating time and cost for transition execution.
• Deadline Management: International procedural steps and billing interstate fees to prevent lapse or reduction of rights.

• WIPO-Compliant Expertise: Filings are made in accordance with the Patent Cooperation Treaty, WIPO administrative instructions, and practices of ISAs.
• Cross-Border Legal Network: Partnerships with foreign legal practices facilitate uninterrupted progress to the national phases.
• Technical Depth + Legal Precision: Each claim is structured to be enforceable in all jurisdictions, and the scope of coverage is international.
• Cost-Effective Execution: We develop filing approaches aligned to business objectives while containing risk and minimising legal costs.
• End-to-End Coverage: Support is provided from concept drafting to filing and advancing to the national phase with full transparency.