WIPO Members Endorse Guidelines to Improve Application of PCT

GENEVA — Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization have endorsed a series of non-binding recommendations aimed at helping national patent authorities unclog a global backlog of patent applications while at the same time improving the quality of patents granted.

The recommendations, set out in a 66-page report by the WIPO secretariat on improving the functioning of WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system, address issues such as speeding up patent application reviews, creating incentives for encouraging patent applicants to use the system efficiently, addressing skills and manpower shortages in patent offices, and improving access to effective search systems.

The recommendations ...