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PCT NEWSLETTER

www.wipo.int/pct/en

April 2024 | No. 04/2024

 

ePCT Update

A new version of the ePCT system was deployed on 15 April 2024. For full details on the new features of this version for applicants and for receiving Offices, designated Offices and International Authorities, please refer, respectively, to:

https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/epct/learnmore.html?N=1710 and

https://www.wipo.int/ipportal-support/epct-office-user-guide/faq

A summary of the main new features follows.

What’s new in ePCT for applicants?

  • Management of access rights following a request for change under PCT Rule 92bis is now an applicant self-service: more information can be found in the Practical Advice of this issue and the new ePCT video tutorial “Manage Access Rights following a Rule 92bis change request” available at https://multimedia.wipo.int/wipo/en/pct/suspended-access-rights-2024-02-26-720p.mp4;
  • Signature requirements: only the common representative, deemed common representative (first named applicant who has the right to file the international application before the receiving Office according to nationality and residence) and appointed agent (Chapter I) are available to be selected to sign on most post-filing online actions in ePCT.
    In the signature section, the “signatory” drop-down list showing the applicant, the agent (Chapter I) or the common representative, will continue to be displayed but only the parties authorized to sign will be active for selection. Parties not authorized to sign are still displayed but are greyed-out with an indication next to the name and capacity as “[not authorized to sign]”;
  • A new checkbox to confirm the authorization to sign on behalf of the Applicant (legal entity) or Agent (legal entity) must now be checked: this improvement concerns most ePCT post-filing online actions submitted to the IB.
    When the selected signatory is an applicant (legal entity) or agent (legal entity), the signatory “capacity” field has been replaced with the aforesaid mandatory checkbox to confirm the authorization to sign on behalf of the applicant (legal entity) or agent (legal entity). For ePCT filings to RO/IB, the checkbox was already available for applicants (legal entities) to confirm their authorization to sign, and this feature has now been added for the agents (legal entities);
  • Filing with RO/US – agent must be a natural person: when the selected receiving Office is RO/US, any agent to be added must be a natural person and the legal entity option is now greyed out;
  • Business Continuity Service (BCS) Filing – change receiving Office to RO/IB before filing: when preparing an application in the BCS, it is now possible to change the selected receiving Office to RO/IB when another receiving Office had previously been selected; and
  • The function “View document as it will be rendered at the IB” has been renamed to “Preview rendering of document after submission” for clarity – there is no change in the way the button/link works.

What’s new in ePCT for Offices?

In this version of ePCT, improvements have been implemented for the following features:

  • RO:
  • ISA:
  • ISA/IPEA:
    • New feature to import the text of the claims into Forms PCT/ISA/237, PCT/IPEA/408 and PCT/IPEA/409;
    • Simple free-text field upgraded to an embedded text editor;
    • Addition of new Unity clauses.

More details are available under “What’s New?” of the ePCT Office User Guide and FAQs at:

https://www.wipo.int/ipportal-support/epct-office-user-guide/faq?selected=0

As usual, Offices are encouraged to provide their feedback and to discuss their needs with the PCT International Cooperation Division at: pcticd@wipo.int.

Questions about the current ePCT system can be sent to the PCT eServices Help Desk via the ‘Contact Us’ link at:

https://pct.eservices.wipo.int/direct.aspx?UG=4&T=en&N=769

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