New PCT E-Payment system launched

Further to the announcement in PCT Newsletter No. 06/2010 of the intended launch of the PCT E‑Payment Service, the International Bureau (IB) is pleased to announce that this service is now fully operational, and is available at:

https://webaccess.wipo.int/epayment_pct/

The PCT E‑Payment Service permits applicants to pay fees by credit card via an online secure e‑ payment facility in respect of fees payable to the IB as receiving Office (RO/IB) for new international applications filed with it, and also, irrespective of the receiving Office with which the international application was filed, fees payable to the IB for filing a request for supplementary international search. In the case of the RO/IB filing fees, the July 2010 version of the PCT‑SAFE software has been updated to reflect this change. 

The main advantage of this service is that applicants no longer have to supply their credit card details to the IB on separate forms, but can now make the online credit card transaction themselves in a secure and confidential environment. The only requirement is to provide the IB with a valid e-mail address to which instructions for online credit card payment will be sent. E‑mails sent by the PCT E‑Payment Service will be from no.reply@wipo.int, in line with WIPO’s e‑mail policy, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that incoming e‑mails from this address are not blocked for any reason on the recipient’s side, for example, by spam filters.

Applicants may also access all their pending PCT E‑Payment credit card transactions on an ad hoc basis via a link on the PCT Service Center webpage on WIPO’s PATENTSCOPE® website at the following address, where a user guide is also available:

https://www.wipo.int/patentscope/en/service_center/

Applicants are reminded that, as of 1 January 2011, the IB will no longer receive and process credit card details using PCT Forms PCT/ROIB/197 and PCT/IB/380, which are now only available with the collection of forms in force until 30 June 2010. As of 1 January 2011, payment of the above-mentioned PCT fees by credit card will only be possible via the online PCT E‑P ayment Service. In addition to the fee types mentioned above, other PCT fees will gradually become payable also by credit card via this service.