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Zambia Accedes to WIPO's Patent CooperationTreaty

Geneva, August 27, 2001
Press Updates UPD/2001/140

Zambia became the 114th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on August 15, 2001. The Treaty will enter into force for Zambia on November 15, 2001.

Zambia's accession means that as from November 15, 2001, nationals and residents of Zambia may file PCT applications. Also, as from that date, it will be possible to file international applications designating Zambia (country code: ZM), and because Zambia will be bound by Chapter II of the PCT, it will be possible to elect that State for the purposes of international preliminary examination. Since Zambia is party to the Harare Protocol within the framework of the African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO), it will also be possible to designate Zambia for the purpose of obtaining an ARIPO patent. Any designation for an ARIPO patent in an international application filed on or after November 15, 2001, expressed so as to include any State which is a Contracting State of the Harare Protocol and of the PCT, will automatically include the designation of Zambia for that purpose.

With the accession of Zambia, the 114 Contracting States of the PCT are the following:

Albania
Algeria
Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Canada
Central African
Republic
Chad
China
Colombia
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic

Democratic People's
Republic of Korea
Denmark
Dominica
Ecuador
Equatorial Guinea
Estonia
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lesotho

Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mexico
Monaco
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Netherlands
New Zealand
Niger
Norway
Oman (from
October 26, 2001)
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Republic of Korea
Republic of Moldova
Romania
Russian Federation
Saint Lucia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia

Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
The former
Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia
Togo
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Republic of
Tanzania
United States of
America
Uzbekistan
Viet Nam
Yugoslavia
Zambia (from
November 15, 2001)
Zimbabwe

Advantages of the PCT System

The PCT system offers a number of advantages for patent applicants, national patent offices and the general public.

a) Benefits for Patent Applicants

Some of the most important advantages offered by the PCT to patent applicants, include the following:

The PCT offers applicants seeking patent protection in multiple countries a more user-friendly, cost-effective and efficient option. By filing one "international" patent application under the PCT with one patent office (the "receiving office") in one language, an applicant can seek patent protection for an invention simultaneously in each of a large number of countries. This is because the effect of such an international application in each "designated State" is the same as if a national patent application had been filed with the national patent office of that country. Without the PCT, an applicant would generally be required to file separate national patent applications with the office of each country in which patent protection was sought.

In using the PCT, applicants are allowed at least 8 or 18 months more time than if they filed directly with individual national patent offices, to decide whether and in which countries they wish to pursue patent protection. This effectively delays, by the same number of months, the costs associated with translating the application, paying national fees and appointing local patent agents. These advantages are not available if patent applications are filed directly with individual national offices.

Under the PCT, applicants may obtain an international search report and an international preliminary examination report. The information contained in these reports enables applicants to better evaluate whether it is worthwhile to continue with their patent application before they are required to pay the full range of costs involved. Applicants also benefit from the uniform formality requirements and centralized international publication provided by the PCT system.

In particular, applicants who are natural persons (as opposed to legal entities, such as, corporations, etc.) and who are nationals and residents of Zambia (and other countries which meet certain criteria) are entitled to a 75% reduction of certain PCT fees in respect of international applications filed under the PCT.

b) Benefits for National Patent Offices and the National Economy

PCT membership gives better access to the national patent systems in multiple countries. As the system offers a more user-friendly and cost-effective option for applicants seeking patent protection in multiple countries, PCT membership will normally result in an increase in the number of patent applications filed and a corresponding increase in revenues for the national patent office. PCT membership may also result in reduced publication costs for national offices that recognize the international publication of PCT applications for the purposes of national law.

The PCT streamlines the administrative tasks required to process international patent applications and as such, simplifies the operations of national offices, improves efficiency and generates cost-savings. By the time a patent application filed under the PCT reaches the national patent office, it will have been examined as to form by the receiving office, searched by the International Searching Authority and in most cases, examined by an International Preliminary Examining Authority. As a result, the national search and/or examination procedures associated with the processing of patent applications can be considerably reduced or eliminated, and the national office can deal with a larger number of patent applications with the available resources.

c) Benefits for the General Public

The main advantage of the PCT to the broader public lies in the fact that the system facilitates and accelerates access to up-to-date technological information on inventions. This results from the international publication of PCT applications (including the content of the international search reports) and the provision, free of charge, of copies of all published international applications to the national office of the Contracting State which may then publicly disseminate that information. These published materials constitute an invaluable

source of information on the latest technological developments. On the basis of this

information, applicants are better placed to evaluate the patentability of their claimed invention. Access to this information can also serve to stimulate domestic inventive activity which, in turn, can result in increased investment and technology transfer.

The public also benefits from increased levels of confidence since most PCT applications have been subjected to both an international search and an international preliminary examination, and thus any patents granted on the basis of such international applications will provide a solid basis for investment and transfer of technologies.

For more information about the PCT, please see the PCT page on WIPO's Web site (https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/), contact the PCT Information Line (telephone:
(41-22) 338 83 38; facsimile: (41-22) 338 83 39; e-mail: pct.infoline@wipo.int), or contact the Media Relations & Public Affairs Section at WIPO (telephone: (41-22) 338 81 61 or 338 95 47; facsimile: (41-22) 338 88 10; e-mail: publicinf@wipo.int).