These case studies demonstrate how the PCT has been used in the real world to promote innovation in both developed and developing countries. They have been extracted from the IP Advantage database which provides a one-stop gateway to case studies that chronicle the intellectual property experiences of inventors, creators, entrepreneurs and researchers from across the globe.

Industry From Name Focus
Durable Household Products Philippines Rising Above the Competition patents, national Office Philippines, international search report, enforcement, licensing
Industrial Engineering United States of America Patenting for Cleaner Air advantages of international search report, National Phase entry, correction of defects, procedural aspects
Health Care Equipment and Services Australia Devising a Smart Business Strategy patents, joint ownership, licensing, assignment, confidentiality agreement patent families, awards
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Germany Quality and Innovation through IP Protection national patent, national Office Germany, external patent agent, European Patent Office, filing strategies, confidentiality agreement, cross-licensing agreement, licensing, enforcement, award, business result, national Office United States of America
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Singapore Painless Bone Regeneration patents, national Office Singapore, market size
Health Care Equipment and Services Italy, Republic of Korea The Capsule Crawler: Inside View Made Easy joint-venture, national patents, award
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Norway, Switzerland Strategic Partnership and IP Policy for Competing against Pharmaceutical Giants patents, research and development, Norway, Canada, China, European Patent Office, Japan, Commonwealth, United States of America, trade secrets, public domain, enforcement, patent invalidation by courts
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology India Building on a Foundation of IP patents, patent information, research and development, partnerships, European Patent Office, national Office India
Software and Computer Services Germany From IP Setbacks to IP Success patents, licensing, research and development, intellectual property management, costs of international protection
Building Materials and Fixtures Germany A Green Stone Age for the Future patents, national Office Germany, research and development, SMEs, licensing, technology transfer
Clothing and Accessories Italy From Seamstress to International Sartorial Status research and development, regional patent, process patent
Software and Computer Services Italy Successful Technology Transfer through a Spin-off Company start-up company, exclusive license, technology transfer, research and development, intellectual property cycle
Durable Household Products India, United States of America Ingenious Simplicity: Using Light to Clean Drinking Water in Developing Countries award, social aspects, financing, USAIDS, licensing, technology transfer
Industrial Engineering Spain The Sun and IP: A Recipe for Socio-Economic Development research and development, trade secrets, intellectual property ownership, regional patent applications, national Office Spain, licensing, partnership, social aspects, environmentally sound technologies
Health Care Equipment and Services Japan A Painless Needle social aspects, commercialization, award
Technology Hardware and Equipment Japan Rise of the Cybernoids: Japanese Inventor Creates Wearable Robots patents, joint ownership, collaboration, research and development
Building Materials and Fixtures, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Brazil Creating an Innovative Environment with Licensing and Technology Transfer technology transfer, licensing
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology India Innovating India's Pharmaceutical Industry research and development, generics, pharmaceuticals, national patents, access to medicine
Industrial Engineering United Kingdom Protecting a Brand Built for Success National Phase, national patent United Kingdom, investment
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Brazil Intellectual Property and R&D: A Path to Success venture capital, patent information, financing
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Singapore Revolutionizing Aneurysm Treatment intellectual property strategy, national Office Singapore, research and development expenditure
Building Materials and Fixtures United States of America From Agricultural Waste to Sustainable Future sustainable development, national patent United States of America, partnership, USAIDS, development aspects
Building Materials and Fixtures Norway Recycling for the Future Norway, environmental aspects, commercialization
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology South Africa Leveraging Economic Growth through Benefit Sharing traditional knowledge, national Office United States of America, research and development, unfair competition
Industrial Transportation Australia Taking the Heat Out of Bushfires with Innovative Technology national patents, national Office Australia, national Office United States of America, SMEs
Industrial Engineering Peru Peruvian Innovator Finds Success through the IP System SMEs, development aspects, licensing, defensive protection
Chemicals Italy Bio-plastics: Letting the Planet Breathe national Office United States of America, European Patent Office, environmental aspects, award, sustainable development, business results, company turnover
Technology Hardware and Equipment United States of America From Dust Buster to Bomb Disposal national patents, business results, patent-related revenues
Chemicals, Clothing and Accessories Japan From 10 Minutes to Five Seconds: An Invention to Save an Aging Watch Industry patents, ISO standard, award, SMEs
Industrial Engineering Australia The Bishop Way of Steering to Success patent applications (500 applications), licensing, partnership, trade secrets
Electronic and Electrical Equipment Japan Robot Creator national patent applications, national Office Japan, single inventor, university, technology transfer office
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology India Licensing to Save Lives pharmaceuticals
Health Care Equipment and Services, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Hong Kong, China Fending Off Disease with the Shield of IP national patents United States of America, business strategy, biotechnology, award
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Netherlands Seeing the World through a Clearer Lens regional patent, European Patent Office, national award, medical technology
Technology Hardware and Equipment Republic of Korea IP to Weather the Storm national patents, standard setting and patents, patent attorney, certification, national Office United States of America, national Office Republic of Korea
Clothing and Accessories, Footwear Italy Breathable Shoes: Branding Success through Patenting national patents, start-up company
Containers and Packaging United Kingdom Filing an International Patent for Maximum Protection and Commercial Gain award, environmental aspects, patent drafting, patent attorney, award, SMEs, single inventor
Building Materials and Fixtures Ireland, United Kingdom The Importance of Copyright and Patent Protection in Start-Up Businesses patents, copyright, investment enforcement, research and development
Retail, Software and Computer Services United Kingdom Revolutionizing Digital Content Distribution using Patented Technology intellectual property and software, cost of patenting
Leisure Goods Australia Australian Invention Dazzles Hollywood confidentiality agreements, patent attorney, negotiations, national patent United States of America
Building Materials and Fixtures Hungary Seeing Through Concrete regional phase, design
Durable Household Products China Branding for a Global Transformation intellectual property strategy, national patents, rebranding, quality
Building Materials and Fixtures, Clothing and Accessories, Personal Products Switzerland Hooked on Innovation national and regional patents, Switzerland, nanotechnology, business results
Industrial Engineering Japan Transforming Minefields into Schoolyards Designated States, national patents, national patents Japan, humanitarian aspects
Technology Hardware and Equipment Singapore A Remote Solution for a Global Opportunity single inventor, venture capital, national Office Singapore financing
Industrial Engineering, Retail, Technology Hardware and Equipment Canada, Italy Reiventing the Frame, Challenging the Status Quo Hague system, design, China, national Office United States of America, Canada
Clothing and Accessories, Electronic and Electrical Equipment Nigeria, United States of America Harnessing Energy and Lighting the Future development, social needs, SMEs, awards
Clothing and Accessories United Kingdom Protecting a Solution to an Unmet Need patent information search, national patent United Kingdom, development costs
Building Materials and Fixtures, Utilities South Africa Saving Lives and Restoring Dignity through IP patents, licensing, prototype, award
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Nigeria, United States of America Traditional Medicine as a Tonic for Development traditional knowledge, patents, research institutions, intellectual property management
Beverages, Chemicals, Clothing and Accessories, Farming and Fishing, Food Products, Nondurable Household Products, Personal Products, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Colombia The Secret Garden of Innovation and Development biodiversity, sustainable development, trade secrets, certification
Leisure Goods Brazil, United States of America Rescuing a Business Through Robust IP trademark, failure and success in marketing
Chemicals United Kingdom Licensing Opportunities through International Patent and Trademark Protection patents, patent quality, patent attorney, licensing, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland
Durable Household Products Argentina Bubbles, Brains and Bright Ideas Non-PCT State, National Phase, prototype, investment
Durable Household Products Bangladesh An Invention with a Social Cause: Bangladeshi Scientist Develops Water Filter to Fight the Arsenic Menace award, development aid, social aspects
Industrial Engineering India Commercialization of an Invention before the Grant of a Patent patent, priority period, filing strategies, licensing, intellectual property ownership, assignment
Personal Products Philippines Thriving on IP Protection patent, defensive protection
Industrial Engineering India Innovating Safer Travel national patent applications, patent evaluation
Food Products Colombia Making the Origin Count: The Colombian Experience patents, geographical indications
Clothing and Accessories United Kingdom Digitize Your Clothes: Look Smart in Intelligent Textiles novelty, search, patent attorney, cost of filing, drafting, start-up company
Oil and Gas Malaysia Creation of a Brand Name research and development, diversification
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Jordan Evolving Towards IP-Fueled Innovation licensing, joint-venture, European patent applications
Electronic and Electrical Equipment Ireland Measuring Up To Success technology transfer, partnership
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, Software and Computer Services United States of America How to Climb a Mountain One Thought at a Time research and development, clinical trials, start-up company
Electronic and Electrical Equipment, Technology Hardware and Equipment Australia, South Africa Surfers' Paradise, Sharks' Haven technology transfer, licensing
Building Materials and Fixtures Iran (Islamic Republic of), United States of America The Poetry of Architecture patents, humanitarian aspects
Industrial Engineering France Turning Air into Water and IP into Profit patents, commercialization, investment, environmentally sound technologies, patent searches, novelty, patent drafting, national Office France

IP Advantage - Case studies on Intellectual Property

The IP Advantage is a joint project developed by WIPO's Communications Division and the WIPO Japan Office, based on a proposal from Japan and supported by the Japan Funds-in-Trust for Industrial Property. It aims to promote a better understanding of how to create and protect intellectual property and reap the benefits provided by the IP system.