The session will cover:
- prior art considered during international search and international preliminary examination, key stages in the PCT international phase;
- minimum documentation used in international search and preliminary examination;
- citation of documents published after the priority date, including applications filed by different applicants or the same applicant as in the PCT application during the international and national/regional phases;
- situations in which the publication may or may not be included in the international search report, written opinion, or report on patentability under Chapter II of the international phase procedure, as well as during substantive examination in the national/regional phase;
- the application of grace periods in the assessment of patentability criteria in both the international and national/regional phases, including circumstances where disclosures made before filing may be excluded from prior art;
- and more.
Participants also benefit from up-to-date practical insights from representatives of the national and regional Offices, who will share their experience and approaches to citing documents applied in their Offices in their roles as International Searching Authorities, International Preliminary Examining Authorities, and designated or elected Offices under the PCT System.
