http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/newslett/2018/article_0003.html
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PCT Information Update

AT  Austria (languages accepted for search and examination)

The Austrian Patent Office, in its capacity as International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA), has notified the International Bureau (IB) that, with effect from 1 January 2018, it no longer carries out international search and preliminary examination on international applications in Hungarian or Russian. 

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annexes D and E (AT))

CL Chile (languages accepted for search and examination)

The National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile), in its capacity as ISA and IPEA, has notified the IB that, with effect from 1 January 2018, it carries out international search and preliminary examination on international applications in English, in addition to Spanish.  

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annexes D and E (CL))

CN  China (competence as International Preliminary Examining Authority)

The State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China has notified the IB that it will act as IPEA only if the international search is being or has been performed by that Office.

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, footnote to Annexes C (GH, IB, IN, IR, KE, KP, LR, TH and ZW) and E (CN))

EG  Egypt (subject matter that will not be searched/examined)

The Egyptian Patent Office, in its capacity as ISA and IPEA, has notified the IB that there has been a change concerning the subject matter that it will not search/examine, as follows:

Subject matter that will not be searched by the Office as ISA:

The subject matter specified in items (i) to (vi) of PCT Rule 39.1

Subject matter that will not be examined by the Office as IPEA:

The subject matter specified in items (i) to (vi) of PCT Rule 67.1

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annexes D and E (EG))

ES  Spain (languages accepted for search and examination)

The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, in its capacity as ISA and IPEA has notified the IB that, with effect from 1 January 2018, it carries out international search and preliminary examination on international applications in English, in addition to Spanish.   

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annexes D and E (ES))

IL  Israel (telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address)

One of the telephone numbers and the e-mail address of the Israel Patent Office have changed, and the Office has notified a second fax number. The numbers and e-mail address to be used are now as follows:

Telephone:                       (972-2) 5651 705, 5651 685

Fax:                                  (972-2) 5651 616, 6468 070

E-mail:                              [email protected]

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annex B1 (IL))

IR  Islamic Republic of Iran (location and mailing address; fees)

The location and mailing address of the Intellectual Property Center (Islamic Republic of Iran) has changed, as follows:

Location and mailing address:             No. 3, Phayazbakhsh Str.
                                                             Khayam Str.
                                                             Imam Khomeini Square
                                                             11146-78111 Tehran
                                                             Islamic Republic of Iran

The Office has notified the IB of the following fee, payable to it as receiving Office:

Transmittal fee:

For natural persons:……………………………………………………..          IRR        50,000

For legal persons………………………………………………………….          IRR      500,000

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annexes B1 (IR) and C (IR))

JP  Japan (subject matter that will not be searched/examined)

The Japan Patent Office, in its capacity as ISA and IPEA, has notified the IB that there has been a change concerning the subject matter that it will not search/examine, as follows:

Subject matter that will not be searched by the Office as ISA:

The subject matter specified in items (i) to (vi) of PCT Rule 39.1 with the exception of any subject matter which is searched under the patent grant procedure in accordance with the provisions of the Japanese Patent Act, and methods for treatment of the human body by surgery or therapy, as well as diagnostic methods

Subject matter that will not be examined by the Office as IPEA:

The subject matter specified in items (i) to (vi) of PCT Rule 67.1 with the exception of any subject matter which is examined under the patent grant procedure in accordance with the provisions of the Japanese Patent Act, and methods for treatment of the human body by surgery or therapy, as well as diagnostic methods

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annexes D and E (JP))

ME  Montenegro (language of filing)

The Intellectual Property Office (Montenegro), in its capacity as receiving Office, has notified the IB that it accepts international applications filed in Montenegrin, in addition to English.

It is recalled that if the language in which the international application is filed is not accepted by the ISA, the applicant will have to furnish a translation (PCT Rule 12.3).

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annex C (ME))

NL  Netherlands (e-mail)

The e‑mail address of the Netherlands Patent Office has changed to:

[email protected]

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annex B1 (NL))

RU  Russian Federation (fees)

The amounts of the following national fees, payable to the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) (Russian Federation) as designated (or elected) Office, have changed with effect from 6 October 2017:

For patent:

Filing fee:……………………………………………………………………..          RUB         3,300

Examination fee: 1

– for one independent claim:……………………………………..          RUB       12,500

– for each independent claim in excess of one:……………          RUB         9,200

Annual fee for the third year:………………………………………….           RUB         1,700

For utility model:

Filing fee:………………………………………………………………..          RUB         1,400

Annual fee for the first and the second year, per year:…..          RUB            800

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, National Chapter, Summary (RU))

US  United States of America (fees; competent International Searching Authorities)

On 16 January 2018, there was a change in the amount of the following fee, payable to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as receiving Office:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Small    Micro
                                                                                                                              entity    entity
                                                                                                                                                          

Fee for requesting restoration of the right of priority:……………. USD 2,000      1,000   500

The following footnote has been added to Annex C (US) in connection with the competence of the Israel Patent Office to act as ISA for international applications filed with the USPTO as receiving Office:

This Authority is competent only where it has not received more than 100 international applications from the USPTO during the relevant fiscal quarter. For further information, see http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/mod-ilpo-isa-ipea.pdf

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annex C (US))

VN  Vietnam (language of filing; fees)

The National Office of Intellectual Property of Viet Nam (NOIP), in its capacity as receiving Office, has notified the IB that it no longer accepts international applications filed in Russian;  it now only accepts international applications and request forms filed in English.

There has been a change in the currency and amount of the transmittal fee payable to the NOIP) as receiving Office:  the new amount is VND 300,000.  Also, there is no longer a fee payable for a priority document, and the international filing fee and the fee per sheet in excess of 30 are now payable in Swiss francs.

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annex C (VN))

Search fee and other fees related to the international search (Australian Patent Office, Austrian Patent Office, Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Egyptian Patent Office, Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) (Russian Federation), Indian Patent Office, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, Israel Patent Office, Korean Intellectual Property Office, National Institute of Industrial Property (Brazil), National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile), Nordic Patent Institute, Swedish Patent and Registration Office, Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (Turkpatent), United States Patent and Trademark Office and Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI))

The Offices indicated below, in their capacities as ISAs, have notified fees for furnishing copies of documents contained in the file of the international application, in accordance with PCT Rule 94.1ter, payable with effect from 1 January 2018, as follows:

Australian Patent Office:                            per document:…………………….          AUD              50

Austrian Patent Office:                               per page:…………………………….         EUR           0.95

Canadian Intellectual Property Office:

                                                                   in paper form, per page:………          CAD                 1

                                                                   in electronic form, for the first
                                                                   7 megabytes:………………………          CAD              10

                                                                   plus, for each additional
                                                                   10 megabytes or part thereof
                                                                    exceeding the first 7 megabytes:      CAD              10

Egyptian Patent Office:                               for the first 30 pages:…………..          EGP            200

                                                                    plus, for each additional page:          EGP                 3

Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) (Russian Federation):

                                                                   per page:…………………………….          RUB         94.40

Indian Patent Office:                                  per page:…………………………….          INR                10

Intellectual Property Office of Singapore:

                                                                   per document:…………………….          SGD               30

Korean Intellectual Property Office:

                                                                        per page:…………………………….          KRW           100

National Institute of Industrial Property (Brazil):

                                                                  online:…………………………………         BRL              1.5

                                                                  on paper, per page:…………….           BRL              2.0

National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile):

                                                                  per document:…………………….          USD              10

Nordic Patent Institute:                             per page:…………………………….          DKK           3.25

Swedish Patent and Registration Office:

                                                                 per page:…………………………….          SEK                 4

Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (Turkpatent):

                                                                 per document:…………………….          TRY            1.50

United States Patent and Trademark Office:

                                                                per copy of US patent document:      USD                 3

                                                                per copy of non-US patent
                                                                document:…………………………..          USD               25

Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI):               per page:…………………………….          EUR           0.80

As from 1 March 2018, there will be changes in the equivalent amounts payable in the currencies specified below for international searches carried out by the following Offices:

Australian Patent Office…………………………………………………………………          KRW

Korean Intellectual Property Office………………………………………………….           AUD, CHF

The above-mentioned changes are indicated in Fee Table I(b).

As from 1 March 2018, there will also be a change in the amount payable in ILS for an international search carried out by the Israel Patent Office. The new amount, as well as the equivalent amounts in CHF, EUR and USD, are indicated in Fee Table I(b). The amounts of other fees will also change, as follows:

Additional search fee: ………………………………………………………………..              ILS   3,525

Late furnishing fee: ……………………………………………………………………              ILS   453

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annex D (AT, AU, BR, CA, CL, EG, IL, IN, KR, RU, SE, SG, TR, US, XN and XV))

Corrigendum :  In the PCT Fee Tables included in PCT Newsletter No. 12/2017, the equivalent amount in CHF of the search fee payable with effect from 1 January 2018 to the Austrian Patent Office was incorrectly indicated as CHF 2,046.  The correct amount is CHF 2,145.

Preliminary examination fee and other fees relating to international preliminary examination (Israel Patent Office, Korean Intellectual Property Office, Spanish Patent and Trademark Office)

As from 1 March 2018, there will be a change in the amount of the following fees, payable in ILS to the Israel Patent Office as International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA):

Preliminary examination fee: ………………………………………………         ILS   1,511

Additional preliminary examination fee: ………………………………..         ILS   1,511

Late furnishing fee:……………………………………………………………..        ILS      453

The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office has notified the IB that, with effect from 1 January 2018, the preliminary examination fee is reduced by 75% where the applicant or, if there are two or more applicants, each applicant is a natural person or a legal entity and is a national of and resides in a State not party to the European Patent Convention and which is classified by the World Bank in the group of countries of “low income”, “lower middle income” or “upper middle income”.  The countries concerned are listed at:

http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/fees/oepm_fee_reduction.html

As from 1 March 2018, there will be a change in the amount of the handling fee payable to the Korean Intellectual Property Office as IPEA. The new amount will be KRW 220,000.

(Updating of PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annex E (ES, IL, KR))