PCT Legal and User Relations Division

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Legal and User Relations Division is responsible for many of the legal-related tasks associated with the PCT, as well as providing training, information and associated resources, and maintaining relations with the PCT user community.

Our activities include:

• implementing changes to the PCT legal and procedural framework;
• providing legal, procedural and strategic advice to PCT users;
• providing training seminars and update presentations to PCT users and potential users;
• maintaining the PCT portion of the WIPO website and its information resources, including the PCT legal and informational texts such as the Treaty, Regulations, Administrative Instructions, Forms, Guidelines, PCT Applicant's Guide (updated weekly) and monthly PCT Newsletter;
• publishing required information in the PCT Gazette (weekly);
• providing a specific information service (for legal and general PCT questions) for PCT users and potential users (“PCT Infoline”);
• building greater awareness of the PCT and its benefits among users and potential users through direct outreach;
• regularly surveying PCT users in order to bring their feedback into the process of further development of the PCT; and
• providing legal advice and training to the PCT Operations Division in relation to the processing of applications, and overseeing the special handling of individual applications.