Startup adventures navigating the PCT process for deeptech technology – Lessons that the Polish innovator startup Sygnis learnt the hard way

Startup considerations for the PCT – Insights into the benefits for startups taking the PCT route and deeper considerations from the Polish startup Saule SA

Quick guide to the PCT – All you wanted to know about PCT but never really understood. Clear and simple guide from Mr Zsolt Szentpéteri, Vice President of the Hungarian Chamber of Patent Attorneys and Board Member of epi (Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office)

Creating an IP oriented business culture – Case study of GA Drilling Slovakia, an R&D SME that understands the value of IP and developed a systematic approach to protect it.

International patenting from the university perspective – Technology transfer best practices from the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, one of the oldest universities in the world.

Pros and cons of a PCT application – Considerations of filing or not filing a PCT application from Tescan Brno, a progressively developing innovative Czech R&D enterprise.

Benefits of the PCT route for pharmaceutical corporations – Learn how to cut the workload and increase the success rate of patent filing from the story of Egis, one of the leading pharmaceutical corporations in the CEE region.

The case studies were funded by the Hungarian National Research Development and Innovation Office.

Download the annual report of the VPI for 2023 with facts and figures for 2019-2023.

Download the annual report of the VPI for 2022 with facts and figures for 2018-2022.

Download the annual report of the VPI for 2021 with facts and figures for 2016-2021.

Brochure on the Visegrad Patent Institute

Brochure on the Global Patent Search services

Brochure on the International-type Search

The Visegrad Patent Institute, in cooperation with the International Visegrad Fund and the ASTP, the premier association of knowledge transfer professionals in Europe, is organizing an online round table event on 22 November 2022.

Please, follow our Linked-in page to be posted about the details.

Download the program of the event.

VPI held an online conference to celebrate the 5th anniversary of starting operation on the 7th July, 2021. Speakers came from industry players, V4 patent offices that use the services of the VPI and technology transfer offices to share their experiences with the VPI and the best practices of filing PCT applications in the V4 region.

Summary of the Celebratory 5th Anniversary Conference.

Download the program of the event to see further details and watch the video recording of the presentations on the VPI Youtube channel.

The biggest advantage of the PCT is that a priority date can be secured with a single application (international patent application) in all PCT contracting states, giving the applicant time to select the countries/regions where the patent protection will be obtained eventually. Important commercial and financial decisions have to be made when selecting these territories, as the future market for the patented products depends on several factors which may not be clear at an early stage of the application.
Another major advantage of the PCT is that the international search obtained during the international phase, together with the associated written opinion and preliminary examination report, make it possible to improve the application before entering the national/regional phase.
The PCT ensures uniform formal and procedural requirements for international patent applications as well as centralised publication. The international patent application can be made in one language, in a cost-effective and relatively simple way.

International patent protection cannot be obtained directly through an international patent application. In the specific countries/regions where patent protection is sought, the national/regional phase for the international patent application must be entered separately and the fees must be paid according to the applicable fees table. The competent national/regional authorities will then proceed with the patent granting procedure in accordance with national/regional law.
More information about country/regional legislation is available on the WIPO website (https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/guide/index.html) by clicking on the sidebar in the “National Chapter” column of the table.

The international patent application can be filed with the national patent offices that; also act as receiving offices; or directly with the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO IB). The Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) must be designated in the application to make the VPI the international searching authority and, if required, the international preliminary examination authority. This can be done by indicating ISA/XV in Box No. VII of the application (Form PCT/RO/101).

The international application can be done in your national language, and every piece of important information can be obtained in this language.
The search report of the earlier national application related to the international patent application can be taken into account by the VPI upon request; in which case 40% of the international search fee will be refunded. To this end, the national patent or utility model application on which the priority is based, must be indicated in the request; and related search report must be requested to be taken into account at the same time under Box No. VII 1.1 (Form PCT/RO/101). For further important details, please, refer to the Documents page.

As a minimum, the international patent application must contain the completed application request (Form PCT/RO/101), the specification, the claim(s), the abstract, if necessary, and drawing(s), to recognise the filing date.

You can file an international patent application at the VPI in the following five languages: Czech, English, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak.

Yes, if the language of the application and description was not in English, the translation for publication of the application must be filed with the receiving Office within 14 months from the earliest priority date of the application.

The central administration of the PCT system is carried out by the WIPO International Bureau (IB) in Geneva, so the necessary documents should always be sent to them, too. The easiest is to send them through the system of ePCT, but documents can be sent via the national offices that also act as receiving offices. If the applicant so requests, the national office receiving the application will prepare the priority document and send it to the WIPO IB for a fee. This request must be indicated in the request form (Form PCT/RO/101) in Box No. VI, under the heading “Furnishing priority documents”.

Yes, a guide to fill the application form and a sample form (in English) are available at https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/forms/. Further useful information can be found on the About the PCT page.

Up-to-date information on the fees is available on the WIPO website at the following link: https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/fees/

The transmittal fee is set by the respective contracting state. The search fee is set by the respective international searching authority. The international filing fee is set by IB WIPO.

The following fees are payable at the time of applying:
– international filing fee,
– handling fee , and
– search fee.
You can find more information about the exact procedure for paying the fees and the current rates in the downloadable List of fees on the About the PCT page, and on the WIPO website (https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/guide/index.html) by clicking on the sidebar in the “Receiving Office” column of the table.

Fees are due when the international patent application is filed, but may be paid within one month of filing the international patent application at the latest.

The international patent application fee and the international search fee must always be paid at the receiving Office. Please, refer to the Contact us page for the contact information of the VPI receiving offices. More information on the WIPO website (https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/guide/index.html) by clicking on the sidebar in the “Receiving Office” column of the table.

If the applicant is the inventor (and is a national or a resident in the VPI Member state), only 10% of the international application fee is payable.
A refund of 40% of the international search fee is available at the VPI if an earlier search can be taken into account during the international search. For more information, refer to the “What are the benefits of choosing the VPI as international searching authority” question.

If the search report from your national application is available for your international patent application, you can request this search report to be taken into account in the Request Box No. VII. 1.1 when completing the application (Form PCT/RO/101). It has to be indicated which earlier application’s search is requested to be taken into account and whether or not you request the transmitting office to transmit the earlier search results to the VPI. If the international application was based on a previous national application, the VPI already has this information at hand.
Upon completing the search, the VPI will send a notification on the refund to the applicant together with the international search report and the written opinion, using form PCT/ISA/213. The refund has to be requested by submitting a completed Search Fee Refund Form to the VPI within 6 months from the receipt of form PCT/ISA/213. For further information and to download the form, please refer to the Documents page.

There is no direct PCT filing service at the VPI. For general information on completing the application and answers to further questions, please, contact your national patent office directly. For their contact information, please refer to the Contact us page.
For legal or industrial property advice and to hire a legal representative, contact the professional representatives registered with your national patent attorney or bar association.

More information about the PCT system can be found on the WIPO website: https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/ or on the About the PCT page.