| First, the applicant has up to 18 months more | | | | application with a view to put it in the order most |
| than would be the case in a procedure outside the | | | | beneficial to the applicant before proceeding by |
| PCT, to reflect on the desirability of seeking | | | | the designated offices. |
| protection in foreign countries, to appoint local | | | | Thirdly, the search and examination work of |
| patent agents in each foreign country, to prepare | | | | patent offices can be considerably reduced or |
| the necessary translations and to pay the national | | | | virtually eliminated thanks to the international |
| fees. And also the applicant is assured that, if the | | | | search report, the written opinion and, where |
| international application is in the form of prescribed | | | | applicable, the international preliminary examination |
| by the PCT and has met the formal | | | | report that accompany the international application. |
| requirements; it cannot be rejected on formal | | | | Since each international application is published |
| grounds by designated office during the national | | | | together with an international search report, third |
| phase of the processing of the application. | | | | parties are in a better position to formulate a |
| Secondly, on the basis of the international search | | | | well-founded opinion about the patentability of the |
| report from the International Search Authority | | | | claimed invention. |
| [ISA] or the written opinion, the applicant can | | | | To know further about the advantages of PCT |
| evaluate with reasonable probability the chances | | | | system, please read the article published at |
| of the patentability of the invention in the regions | | | | WIPO, Advantages of the Patent Cooperation |
| or countries where the patent is sought. The | | | | Treaty (PCT) for Patent Agents in Developing |
| applicant has the possibility during the international | | | | Countries. |
| preliminary examination to amend the international | | | | |