Facilitating the Use of the World Intellectual Property Organization's ePCT System To Prepare International Applications for Filing With the United States Receiving Office
uspto-patent · US Patent and Trademark Office · Published 2020-09-30 · Effective 2020-09-30 · 85 FR 61604
Document
Document number
2020-18743
Federal Register citation
85 FR 61604
CFR reference
37 CFR 5
Type
Rule
Action
Final rule.
Category
uspto-patent
Sub-agency
US Patent and Trademark Office
Publication date
2020-09-30
Effective date
2020-09-30
Commerce docket
Docket No. PTO-P-2019-0033
Abstract
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) is amending the foreign filing license rules to facilitate the use of ePCT (a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) online service) to prepare an international application for filing with the USPTO in its capacity as a Receiving Office (RO/US) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). While the former foreign filing license rules authorized the export of technical data to ePCT for purposes of preparing an international application for filing in a foreign PCT Receiving Office, they did not authorize the export of technical data to ePCT for purposes of preparing an international application for filing with the RO/US. As a foreign filing license addresses the export of technical data, the USPTO is amending the foreign filing license rules to further provide that a foreign filing license from the USPTO authorizes the export of technical data abroad for purposes related to the use of ePCT to prepare an international application for filing with the RO/US under the PCT.