THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) AND BUDAPEST TREATY

During the late 1970s, several international agreements were reached which allow a single application to be recognized in a number of countries. The ARS Patent Culture Collection is recognized as a depository for all of these agreements. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) became effective in 1970 and was amended in 1978 and 1979, and has been signed by all industrially important countries. The treaty allows an applicant to file a single application in a standard format through the applicant's national patent office and have the application recognized as a valid filing in as many PCT countries as selected. The European Patent Convention (EPC), which is restricted to European countries, became effective on October 7, 1977. Finally, the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure (more simply designated as The Budapest Treaty) was signed on April 28, 1977 and provides that a single deposit in an approved culture collection satisfies the patent application disclosure requirements of all member countries of the Union established by the treaty. To date, 31 countries are signatories of this treaty and 31 International Depositary Authorities, including the ARS Patent Culture Collection, have been designated throughout the world.