patent cooperation treaty
Patent Cooperation Treaty. A 1970 treaty that streamlined the process of securing patents in multiple countries by establishing a single filing date and providing for a single preliminary patent search. • An inventor who wants to qualify for patents from several member countries files a standard application in one country, thus preserving the priority date, then submits a PCT filing that designates which other countries’ patents are being applied for. WIPO, the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organization, administers the treaty. — Abbr. PCT. See international application under PATENT APPLICATION.
