Loading
Product Line
Kluwer Law International
ISBN-13
9789403503882
Availability
Ships in 5-7 Business Days
Last Updated
2024-12-13

Overview

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), with 158 Contracting States, is a fundamental legal instrument used in the filing, searching, and examination of patent applications. This matchless book provides in-depth and extensive annotations to the entire text of the PCT as of 2024, with explanations of legal principles, cross references and interrelations between legal provisions, and an extensive index. Resulting from a meticulous fusion of the two preeminent works PCT Strategy and Practice (2021) and PCT-Handbuch (17th edition, 2023), it represents the most comprehensive commentary on the PCT.

 

With its introductions and annotations, the book offers its users such practical benefits as the following:

 

  • quick retrieval of answers to practical legal questions;
  • a hierarchically organized and logical structure following the articles and rules of the PCT;
  • a paragraph by paragraph commentary; and
  • options available to the applicant at the various stages, including factors to consider in making a choice between them.

The authors – all intellectual property experts with direct involvement with PCT development and strategy – bring inside knowledge from their work at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Patent Office (EPO). This book will prove indispensable for patent lawyers worldwide as well as for trainees preparing for examinations such as the European Qualifying Examination. Patent professionals will find a wealth of guidance for day-to-day practice. 


A supplementary overview of the main legal changes between the Annotated PCT and 30.10.2025 is available for free - download the document here.


The supplement (and electronic version) includes the amendments of the Regulations in force from January 1, 2026. The next print edition of the Annotated PCT is planned for October 2026.

Table Of Contents

Contributors


Preface


History of the Book


Instructions for Use


PCT Legal Framework and Resources


Notations and Abbreviations


Introduction to the PCT


Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)


Table of Contents of Articles


Preamble


Articles


Regulations under the Patent Cooperation Treaty


Table of Contents of Regulations


Regulations


Schedule of Fees


Fee Reduction According to the Schedule of Fees


Annex 1


List of Territories


Annex 2


List of Contracting States with Time Limits for Entry into the National Phase


Annex 3


Access to Files


Index

Testimonial

This book is well-structured, soundly reasoned, and immensely helpful from multiple perspectives for everyday PCT practice.


With a clear, systematic structure that follows the articles of the PCT in chronological order. Particularly helpful is the consistent integration of the corresponding PCT Rules into the commentary on each relevant article. In addition, wherever it is relevant to practice, the authors contribute valuable strategic guidance – well-founded, nuanced, and delivered with evident passion for the subject. This unique combination makes the Annotated PCT an exceptionally useful addition to any professional library – not only for experienced practitioners and patent paralegals but also as an excellent training resource, especially for those preparing for the EQE (European Qualifying Examination).


In today’s practice, whether in-house or in law firms, encounters with the PCT are an everyday occurrence. With the Annotated PCT, the authors have delivered an outstanding resource that empowers practitioners to confidently and competently navigate the challenges of the PCT in real-world settings. — Dr. rer. nat. Dipl.-Biol. Christine Cirl, LL.M. in MITTEILUNGEN DER DEUTSCHEN PATENTANWÄLTE


The Annotated PCT (created by a group of four people: Barbara Heidecke, Thomas Henninger, Malte Köllner and Piotr Wierzejewski) definitely fills a major gap. I can't even begin to comprehend how much work must have gone into this.


It provides in-depth and extensive annotations to the entire text of the PCT as of 2024, with explanations of legal principles, cross references and interrelations between legal provisions, and an extensive index. Resulting from a fusion of the two preeminent works PCT Strategy and Practice (2021) and PCT-Handbuch (17th edition, 2023), it represents the most comprehensive commentary on the PCT. The book further includes helpful Annexes (List of Territories; List of Contracting States with Time Limits for Entry into the National Phase; Access to Files) and a long, detailed Index to help with the search.


If I were starting my EQE preparation today, I would probably choose this book. — Zsofia Pintz, European Patent Attorney, European Union Trade Mark Attorney and EQE tutor

Loading
Annotated PCT | Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory