International Patent Applications - PCT
Israel is rated by WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) at fourth highest in the world in terms of patents per population. The organization allows anyone living in the countries, which are members of the WIPO, to submit international requests for patent called PCT. Such requests for patent are examined by the organization’s examiners, who provide the inventors with a report on their examinations.
Within a period of 30 months from the priority date, an inventor can register a patent at national level in the countries chosen by the inventor.
The following data regarding the relative numbers of patents registrated by the organization refers to 2010:
Ranking:
- Finland
- Japan
- Sweden
- Israel
- South Korea
- USA
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- France
- Canada
The inventor of a patent can submit a PCT request on the priority date, or can submit a request at any time within 12 months from the priority date.
Some inventors do not submit a PCT request within the first 12 months and instead, they submit individual requests at the national level in the countries they select.
An inventor is not obliged to submit requests for patent in countries around the world or a PCT request immediately after submitting the original request on the priority date, such as for instance, in Israel and the inventor can submit those requests during the 12 month period after the priority date.
