The Patent Law Treaty (PLT) is a treaty adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) signed on 1 June 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland, by 53 States and the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg, an intergovernmental organization). It entered into force on April 28, 2005. It aims at harmonizing and streamlining formal procedures such as the requirements to obtain a filing date for a patent application, the form and content of a patent application, and representation. The treaty "does not establish a uniform procedure for all parties to the PLT but leaves parties free to require fewer or more user-friendly requirements than those provided in the PLT." As of February 2023, the PLT had 43 contracting states.

History

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|+ Contracting States to the Patent Law Treaty and dates of entry into force In March 2009, a report from French Senator Rachel Mazuir recommended the ratification of the PLT, as soon as possible, by France. On 24 July 2009, the government was authorized to ratify the PLT. The PLT then entered into force for France on 5 January 2010.

See also

  • Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
  • Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
  • Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT)
  • Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (GRATK)
  • European Convention relating to the Formalities required for Patent Applications (1953)
  • Trademark Law Treaty (1994)
  • Design Law Treaty
  • Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks

References

Further reading

  • Patent Law Treaty in the WIPO Lex database – official website of WIPO.
  • The full text of the Patent Law Treaty