Adopted on October 11, 2016, by the Assembly of the International Patent Cooperation Union (PCT Union) at its Forty-Eighth (28th Extraordinary) Session held from October 3 to 11, 2016, with effect from July 1, 2017
Rule 4.10
Rule 23bis.2
Rule 45bis.1
Rule 51bis.1
Rule 4
The Request (Contents)
4.1 to 4.9 [No change]
(a) to (c) [No change]
(d) [Deleted]
4.11 to 4.19 [No change]
Rule 23bis
Transmittal of Documents Relating to Earlier Search or Classification
23bis.1 [No change]
23bis.2 Transmittal of Documents Relating to Earlier Search or Classification for the Purposes of Rule 41.2
(a) For the purposes of Rule 41.2, where the international application claims the priority of one or more earlier applications filed with the same Office as that which is acting as the receiving Office and that Office has carried out an earlier search in respect of such an earlier application or has classified such earlier application, the receiving Office shall, subject to Article 30(2)(a) as applicable by virtue of Article 30(3) and paragraphs (b), (d) and (e), transmit to the International Searching Authority, together with the search copy, a copy of the results of any such earlier search, in whatever form (for example, in the form of a search report, a listing of cited prior art or an examination report) they are available to the Office, and a copy of the results of any such earlier classification effected by the Office, if already available. The receiving Office may, subject to Article 30(2)(a) as applicable by virtue of Article 30(3), also transmit to the International Searching Authority any further documents relating to such an earlier search which it considers useful to that Authority for the purposes of carrying out the international search.
(b) to (e) [No change]
Rule 45bis
Supplementary International Searches
45bis.1 Supplementary Search Request
(a) The applicant may, at any time prior to the expiration of 22 months from the priority date, request that a supplementary international search be carried out in respect of the international application by an International Searching Authority that is competent to do so under Rule 45bis.9. Such requests may be made in respect of more than one such Authority.
(b) to (e) [No change]
45bis.2 to 9 [No change]
Rule 51bis
Certain National Requirements Allowed under Article 27
51bis.1 Certain National Requirements Allowed
(a) to (e) [No change]
(f) [Deleted]
51bis.2 and 51bis.3 [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 October 11, 2016 by the Assembly of the International Patent Cooperation Union (PCT Union) at its forty-eighth (28th extraordinary) session held from October 3 to 11, 2016 with effect from July 1, 2017.
Francis Gurry
Director General
World Intellectual Property Organization
January 16, 2017
1. The amendment of Rule 45bis.1(a) shall apply to any international application, irrespective of its international filing date, in respect of which the time limit for filing a request for supplementary international search under Rule 45bis.1(a) as in force until June 30, 2017, has not yet expired on July 1, 2017.
The amendments of Rule 23bis.2 shall apply to any international application whose international filing date is on or after July 1, 2017.
2. The following reproduces, for each Rule that was amended, the amended text. Where a part of any such Rule has not been amended, the indication "[No change]" appears.