United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 09 April 2002
Notice Regarding Modification of
Time Limits Fixed in Article 22(1)
The International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) has notified the United States Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) that the following twenty-four (24) countries have
indicated that the change to PCT Article 22 is incompatible with their
national laws:
AU Australia JP Japan
BG Bulgaria KR Republic of Korea
BR Brazil LU Luxembourg
CH Switzerland NO Norway
CN China SE Sweden
DK Denmark SG Singapore
EE Estonia SK Slovakia
FI Finland TZ United Republic of Tanzania
GB United Kingdom UG Uganda
HR Croatia YU Yugoslavia
HU Hungary ZA South Africa
IL Israel ZM Zambia
Applicants are cautioned that a Demand for international
preliminary examination must be filed by nineteen (19) months from the
earliest claimed priority date in order to delay national stage entry
in these countries until thirty (30) months from the earliest claimed
priority date.
For more information regarding these changes, applicant should
see the WIPO website at
http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/index.html under
"Notifications concerning non applicability (as of April 1, 2002) of
new (30-month) time limit under modified Article 22(1)" and "FAQ's
on the effect of the modification of PCT Article 22(1) time limit."
Applicants merely interested in postponing national stage
entry until thirty (30) months from the earliest claimed priority date
in the above listed countries, may file with the Demand, a request to
waive both the written opinion and the international preliminary
examination report with the USPTO.
March 5, 2002 STEPHEN G. KUNIN
Deputy Commissioner for
Patent Examination Policy