66.1 Basis of the International Preliminary Examination
(a) Subject to paragraphs (b) to (d), the international preliminary examination shall be based on the international application as filed.
(b) The applicant may submit amendments under Article 34 at the time of filing the demand or, subject to Rule 66.4bis, until the international preliminary examination report is established.
(c) Any amendments under Article 19 made before the demand was filed shall be taken into account for the purposes of the international preliminary examination unless superseded, or considered as reversed, by an amendment under Article 34.
(d) Any amendments under Article 19 made after the demand was filed and any amendments under Article 34 submitted to the International Preliminary Examining Authority shall, subject to Rule 66.4bis, be taken into account for the purposes of the international preliminary examination.
(d-bis) A rectification of an obvious mistake that is authorized under Rule 91.1 shall, subject to Rule 66.4bis, be taken into account by the International Preliminary Examining Authority for the purposes of the international preliminary examination.
(e) Claims relating to inventions in respect of which no international search report has been established need not be the subject of international preliminary examination.
66.1bis Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority
(a) Subject to paragraph (b), the written opinion established by the International Searching Authority under Rule 43bis.1 shall be considered to be a written opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority for the purposes of Rule 66.2(a).
(b) An International Preliminary Examining Authority may notify the International Bureau that paragraph (a) shall not apply to the procedure before it in respect of written opinions established under Rule 43bis.1 by the International Searching Authority or Authorities specified in the notification, provided that such a notification shall not apply to cases where the national Office or intergovernmental organization that acted as International Searching Authority is also acting as International Preliminary Examining Authority. The International Bureau shall promptly publish any such notification in the Gazette.11
(c) Where the written opinion established by the International Searching Authority under Rule 43bis.1 is not, by virtue of a notification under paragraph (b), considered to be a written opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority for the purposes of Rule 66.2(a), the International Preliminary Examining Authority shall notify the applicant accordingly in writing.
(d) A written opinion established by the International Searching Authority under Rule 43bis.1 which is not, by virtue of a notification under paragraph (b), considered to be a written opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority for the purposes of Rule 66.2(a) shall nevertheless be taken into account by the International Preliminary Examining Authority in proceeding under Rule 66.2(a).
The International Preliminary Examining Authority shall conduct a search (“top-up search”) to discover documents referred to in Rule 64 which have been published or have become available to the said Authority for search subsequent to the date on which the international search report was established, unless it considers that such a search would serve no useful purpose. If the Authority finds that any of the situations referred to in Article 34(3) or (4) or Rule 66.1(e) exists, the top-up search shall cover only those parts of the international application that are the subject of international preliminary examination.
66.2 Written Opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority
(a) If the International Preliminary Examining Authority
(i) considers that any of the situations referred to in Article 34(4) exists,
(ii) considers that the international preliminary examination report should be negative in respect of any of the claims because the invention claimed therein does not appear to be novel, does not appear to involve an inventive step (does not appear to be non-obvious), or does not appear to be industrially applicable,
(iii) notices that there is some defect in the form or contents of the international application under the Treaty or these Regulations,
(iv) considers that any amendment goes beyond the disclosure in the international application as filed,
(v) wishes to accompany the international preliminary examination report by observations on the clarity of the claims, the description, and the drawings, or the question whether the claims are fully supported by the description,
(vi) considers that a claim relates to an invention in respect of which no international search report has been established and has decided not to carry out the international preliminary examination in respect of that claim, or
(vii) considers that a nucleotide and/or amino acid sequence listing is not available to it in such a form that a meaningful international preliminary examination can be carried out,
the said Authority shall notify the applicant accordingly in writing. Where the national law of the national Office acting as International Preliminary Examining Authority does not allow multiple dependent claims to be drafted in a manner different from that provided for in the second and third sentences of Rule 6.4(a), the International Preliminary Examining Authority may, in case of failure to use that manner of claiming, apply Article 34(4)(b). In such case, it shall notify the applicant accordingly in writing
(b) The notification shall fully state the reasons for the opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority.
(c) The notification shall invite the applicant to submit a written reply together, where appropriate, with amendments.
(d) The notification shall fix a time limit for the reply. The time limit shall be reasonable under the circumstances. It shall normally be two months after the date of notification. In no case shall it be shorter than one month after the said date. It shall be at least two months after the said date where the international search report is transmitted at the same time as the notification. It shall, subject to paragraph (e), not be more than three months after the said date.
(e) The time limit for replying to the notification may be extended if the applicant so requests before its expiration.
66.3 Formal Response to the International Preliminary Examining Authority
(a) The applicant may respond to the invitation referred to in Rule 66.2(c) of the International Preliminary Examining Authority by making amendments or—if he disagrees with the opinion of that Authority—by submitting arguments, as the case may be, or do both.
(b) Any response shall be submitted directly to the International Preliminary Examining Authority.
66.4 Additional Opportunity for Submitting Amendments or Arguments
(a) If the International Preliminary Examining Authority wishes to issue one or more additional written opinions, it may do so, and Rules 66.2 and 66.3 shall apply.
(b) On the request of the applicant, the International Preliminary Examining Authority may give him one or more additional opportunities to submit amendments or arguments.
66.4bis Consideration of Amendments, Arguments and Rectifications of Obvious Mistakes
Amendments, arguments and rectifications of obvious mistakes need not be taken into account by the International Preliminary Examining Authority for the purposes of a written opinion or the international preliminary examination report if they are received by, authorized by or notified to that Authority, as applicable, after it has begun to draw up that opinion or report.
Any change, other than the rectification of an obvious mistake, in the claims, the description, or the drawings, including cancellation of claims, omission of passages in the description, or omission of certain drawings, shall be considered an amendment.
66.6 Informal Communications with the Applicant
The International Preliminary Examining Authority may, at any time, communicate informally, over the telephone, in writing, or through personal interviews, with the applicant. The said Authority shall, at its discretion, decide whether it wishes to grant more than one personal interview if so requested by the applicant, or whether it wishes to reply to any informal written communication from the applicant.
66.7 Copy and Translation of Earlier Application Whose Priority Is Claimed
(a) If the International Preliminary Examining Authority needs a copy of the earlier application whose priority is claimed in the international application, the International Bureau shall, on request, promptly furnish such copy. If that copy is not furnished to the International Preliminary Examining Authority because the applicant failed to comply with the requirements of Rule 17.1, and if that earlier application was not filed with that Authority in its capacity as a national Office or the priority document is not available to that Authority from a digital library in accordance with the Administrative Instructions, the international preliminary examination report may be established as if the priority had not been claimed.
(b) If the application whose priority is claimed in the international application is in a language other than the language or one of the languages of the International Preliminary Examining Authority, that Authority may, where the validity of the priority claim is relevant for the formulation of the opinion referred to in Article 33(1), invite the applicant to furnish a translation in the said language or one of the said languages within two months from the date of the invitation. If the translation is not furnished within that time limit, the international preliminary examination report may be established as if the priority had not been claimed.
(a) Subject to paragraph (b), when amending the description or the drawings, the applicant shall be required to submit a replacement sheet for every sheet of the international application which, on account of an amendment, differs from the sheet previously filed. The replacement sheet or sheets shall be accompanied by a letter which shall draw attention to the differences between the replaced sheets and the replacement sheets, shall indicate the basis for the amendment in the application as filed and shall preferably also explain the reasons for the amendment.
(b) Where the amendment consists in the deletion of passages or in minor alterations or additions, the replacement sheet referred to in paragraph (a) may be a copy of the relevant sheet of the international application containing the alterations or additions, provided that the clarity and direct reproducibility of that sheet are not adversely affected. To the extent that any amendment results in the cancellation of an entire sheet, that amendment shall be communicated in a letter which shall preferably also explain the reasons for the amendment.
(c) When amending the claims, Rule 46.5 shall apply mutatis mutandis. The set of claims submitted under Rule 46.5 as applicable by virtue of this paragraph shall replace all the claims originally filed or previously amended under Articles 19 or 34, as the case may be.