I am pleased to announce a remarkable achievement: the PCT has surpassed one million applications. WIPO received the millionth PCT application at the end of 2004 and applicants continue to file at a brisk rate. What makes this event even more extraordinary is that it took 22 years for the PCT to reach the 500,000th mark but only four more years were needed for the second 500,000 applications to be filed.
The success of the PCT can largely be attributed to the confidence that its users have placed in the system. Together with the national and regional Offices of the PCT Member States, the Office of the PCT at WIPO is dedicated to serving the needs of PCT users and to ensuring the continued vitality of the PCT as a viable solution for international patent protection. In its 26 years of operation, the PCT has proven its strategic value to users worldwide, and we are confident that the future will yield even greater benefits with increasing appreciation of the importance of patents in the construction of a better future.
I congratulate you and thank you for the role you have played in enabling the PCT to reach this impressive milestone.
Kamil Idris, Director General