What does PCT mean?

PCT(PatentCooperationTreaty) is an international treaty that facilitates patent applicants to obtain international applications after Paris Convention. In essence, it is a supplement to the Paris Convention and a special agreement open to the members of the Paris Convention. With PCT, the applicant can file an international patent application in most countries in the world and protect his invention. Generally speaking, PCT international application is the first patent application (invention patent or utility model patent) in China submitted to the competent acceptance bureau within the priority period (12 months), which is searched internationally by the international search unit of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and made public internationally by the International Bureau. From the priority date, the applicant can submit an application to the designated country within 30 months according to the demand, so as to enter the required country. Of course, the applicant can also file a PCT application at the same time as the application in China. It should be noted that PCT routing application refers to the patent application system. At present, there is no "PCT international patent", only PCT international application or PCT application.