International search and examination services
The Visegrad Patent Institute, in its capacity as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) carries out the following services in accordance with the PCT:
International Search (IS)
The international search (IS) is carried out by an International Searching Authority (ISA) concerning an international patent application which is filed with a Receiving Office (RO), in order to find the most relevant prior art documents regarding the claimed subject matter in the application.
The objective of the international search is to discover prior art related to the novelty and inventive step of the international application. Based on the above, the International Searching Authority (ISA) establishes either an International Search Report (ISR) or a Declaration of non-establishment of ISR.
At the same time as establishing the ISR, a written opinion (WO-ISA) is also established regarding the novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability of the claimed invention and other requirements of the PCT which are checked by the ISA.
International Preliminary Examination (IPE)
The international preliminary examination (often referred to as “Chapter II”) is an optional part of the processing of an international patent application.
The aim of the international preliminary examination is not to grant or refuse a patent, but to obtain a preliminary and non-binding opinion as to whether the claimed invention appears to be novel, to involve an inventive step and to be industrially applicable.
A secondary objective is to identify whether there appear to be any defects in the form or contents of the international application, for example with regard to the clarity of the claims, the description and the drawings, or whether the claims are fully supported by the description.
Supplementary International Search (SIS)
The supplementary international search service offers applicants the choice to request additional searches from ISAs other than the one that carried out the initial PCT search. This service gives applicants the option of obtaining a more complete overview of the prior art in the international phase by allowing them to have an additional search performed in an ISA’s specialty language. The Visegrad Patent Institute is one of the ISAs that offer supplementary international searches.
ABOUT THE PCT
The PCT is an international treaty that makes it possible to seek patent protection simultaneously in a large number of countries by filing a single application. Granting the patent remains under the national or regional legislation.
Documents
Download the Search Fee Refund Form from this page and find detailed instructions on how to submit it for quick payment. Read about our quality assurance and the legal framework of the operation of the VPI in our official documents.
Knowledge hub
The Knowledge hub of the Visegrad Patent Institute was created to share research, statistics, industrial best practice and benchmark information about international patenting in the Visegrad countries through publications and events.