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PCT Notification No. 191
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

Certified Copy
Amendments to the Regulations under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

Adopted on September 29, 2008, by the Assembly of the International Patent Cooperation Union (PCT Union) at its thirty-eighth (22nd extraordinary) session held from September 22 to 30, 2008, with effect from January 1, 2009

Table of Amendments [1]

Rule 45bis.2
Rule 45bis.3
Rule 90.1
Rule 90.4
Rule 90.5
Rule 90bis.3bis
Rule 90bis.5
Rule 90bis.6

AMENDMENTS [2]

Rule 45bis
Supplementary International Searches

45bis.1 [No change]

45bis.2 Supplementary Search Handling Fee

    (a) to (c) [No change]

    (d) The International Bureau shall refund the supplementary search handling fee to the applicant if, before the documents referred to in Rule 45bis.4(e)(i) to (iv) are transmitted to the Authority specified for supplementary search, the international application is withdrawn or considered withdrawn, or the supplementary search request is withdrawn or considered not to have been submitted.

45bis.3 Supplementary Search Fee

    (a) to (c) [No change]

    (d) The International Bureau shall refund the supplementary search fee to the applicant if, before the documents referred to in Rule 45bis.4(e)(i) to (iv) are transmitted to the Authority specified for supplementary search, the international application is withdrawn or considered withdrawn, or the supplementary search request is withdrawn or considered not to have been submitted.

    (e) [No change]

45bis.4 to 45bis.9 [No change]

Rule 90
Agents and Common Representatives

90.1 Appointment as Agent

    (a) A person having the right to practice before the national Office with which the international application is filed or, where the international application is filed with the International Bureau, having the right to practice in respect of the international application before the International Bureau as receiving Office may be appointed by the applicant as his agent to represent him before the receiving Office, the International Bureau, the International Searching Authority, any Authority specified for supplementary search and the International Preliminary Examining Authority.

    (b) [No change]

    (b-bis) A person having the right to practice before the national Office or intergovernmental organization which acts as the Authority specified for supplementary search may be appointed by the applicant as his agent to represent him specifically before that Authority.

    (c) [No change]

    (d) An agent appointed under paragraph (a) may, unless otherwise indicated in the document appointing him, appoint one or more sub-agents to represent the applicant as the applicant's agent:

      (i) before the receiving Office, the International Bureau, the International Searching Authority, any Authority specified for supplementary search and the International Preliminary Examining Authority, provided that any person so appointed as sub-agent has the right to practice before the national Office with which the international application was filed or to practice in respect of the international application before the International Bureau as receiving Office, as the case may be;

      (ii) specifically before the International Searching Authority, any Authority specified for supplementary search or the International Preliminary Examining Authority, provided that any person so appointed as sub-agent has the right to practice before the national Office or intergovernmental organization which acts as the International Searching Authority, the Authority specified for supplementary search or the International Preliminary Examining Authority, as the case may be.

90.2 and 90.3 [No change]

90.4 Manner of Appointment of Agent or Common Representative

    (a) [No change]

    (b) Subject to Rule 90.5, a separate power of attorney shall be submitted to either the receiving Office or the International Bureau, provided that, where a power of attorney appoints an agent under Rule 90.1(b), (b-bis), (c) or (d)(ii), it shall be submitted to the International Searching Authority, the Authority specified for supplementary search or the International Preliminary Examining Authority, as the case may be.

    (c) [No change]

    (d) Subject to paragraph (e), any receiving Office, any International Searching Authority, any Authority competent to carry out supplementary searches, any International Preliminary Examining Authority and the International Bureau may waive the requirement under paragraph (b) that a separate power of attorney be submitted to it, in which case paragraph (c) shall not apply.

    (e) [No change]

90.5 General Power of Attorney

    (a) [No change]

    (b) The general power of attorney shall be deposited with the receiving Office, provided that, where it appoints an agent under Rule 90.1(b), (b-bis), (c) or (d)(ii), it shall be deposited with the International Searching Authority, the Authority specified for supplementary search or the International Preliminary Examining Authority, as the case may be.

    (c) Any receiving Office, any International Searching Authority, any Authority competent to carry out supplementary searches and any International Preliminary Examining Authority may waive the requirement under paragraph (a)(ii) that a copy of the general power of attorney is attached to the request, the demand or the separate notice, as the case may be.

    (d) Notwithstanding paragraph (c), where the agent submits any notice of withdrawal referred to in Rules 90bis.1 to 90bis.4 to the receiving Office, the International Searching Authority, the Authority specified for supplementary search or the International Preliminary Examining Authority, as the case may be, a copy of the general power of attorney shall be submitted to that Office or Authority.

90.6 [No change]

Rule 90bis
Withdrawals

90bis.1 to 90bis.3 [No change]

90bis.3bis Withdrawal of Supplementary Search Request

    (a) The applicant may withdraw a supplementary search request at any time prior to the date of transmittal to the applicant and to the International Bureau, under Rule 45bis.8(a), of the supplementary international search report or the declaration that no such report will be established.

    (b) Withdrawal shall be effective on receipt, within the time limit under paragraph (a), of a notice addressed by the applicant, at his option, to the Authority specified for supplementary search or to the International Bureau, provided that, where the notice does not reach the Authority specified for supplementary search in sufficient time to prevent the transmittal of the report or declaration referred to in paragraph (a), the communication of that report or declaration under Article 20(1), as applicable by virtue of Rule 45bis.8(b), shall nevertheless be effected.

90bis.4 [No change]

90bis.5 Signature

    (a) [No change]

    (b) Where two or more applicants file an international application which designates a State whose national law requires that national applications be filed by the inventor and where an applicant for that designated State who is an inventor could not be found or reached after diligent effort, a notice of withdrawal referred to in Rules 90bis.1 to 90bis.4 need not be signed by that applicant ("the applicant concerned") if it is signed by at least one applicant and

      (i) a statement is furnished explaining, to the satisfaction of the receiving Office, the International Bureau, the Authority carrying out the supplementary international search or the International Preliminary Examining Authority, as the case may be, the lack of signature of the applicant concerned, or

      (ii) in the case of a notice of withdrawal referred to in Rule 90bis.1(b), 90bis.2(d), 90bis.3(c) or 90bis.3bis(b), the applicant concerned did not sign the request but the requirements of Rule 4.15(b) were complied with, or

      (iii) [no change]

90bis.6 Effect of Withdrawal

    (a) and (b) [No change]

    (b-bis) Where a supplementary search request is withdrawn under Rule 90bis.3bis, the supplementary international search by the Authority concerned shall be discontinued.

    (c) [No change]

90bis.7 [No change]

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the original text in English of the amendments to the Regulations under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) adopted on September 29, 2008, by the Assembly of the International Patent Cooperation Union (PCT Union) at its thirty-eighth (22nd extraordinary) session held from September 22 to 30, 2008, with effect from January 1, 2009.

Francis Gurry
Director General
World Intellectual Property Organization

December 2, 2008

Footnotes:

1. These amendments shall apply to any international application in respect of which the time limit for making a supplementary search request under Rule 45bis.1(a) expires on or after January 1, 2009.

2. The following reproduces the text, as amended, of each Rule that was amended. Where a paragraph or item of any such Rule has not been amended, the indication "[No change]" appears.