Glossary · Intellectual Property
PCT
Patent Cooperation Treaty — an international patent filing treaty administered by WIPO that lets applicants seek patent protection in multiple countries through a single application.
The PCT has 150+ contracting states including India. By filing a single PCT application, an applicant can defer national-phase decisions by up to 30/31 months from the priority date. PCT applications go through an international search and optional preliminary examination, giving applicants a strong indication of patentability before incurring national-phase costs. The Indian national phase must be entered within 31 months for PCT applications filed in India.
Examples
A US-based biotech company files a single PCT application designating India, EU, and Japan, then enters the national phase in each country within 31 months.