PDF, PCT Yearly Review - WIPO

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SECTION F – MEETINGS
F.1 Meeting of International Authorities under the PCT
The 17th session of the Meeting of International Authorities under the PCT was held in Rio de Janeiro, from
February 9 to 11, 2010. The session primarily focused on the need to ensure that the work carried out by
international authorities meets the necessary level of quality. The authorities noted the results of a PCT user
survey and the reports made by each authority on their quality management systems. They set up a
subgroup to review a variety of issues and to develop proposals on how best to take this area of work
forward. The meeting also gave some preliminary input on matters to be discussed by the PCT Working
Group regarding “The Future of the PCT”. In addition, the meeting reaffirmed the need to find a satisfactory
way of supporting the amendment of PCT applications by paragraph, to enable the full-text processing of
PCT applications.
F.2 PCT Working Group
The third session of the PCT Working Group was held in Geneva from June 14 to 18, 2010. The Working
Group endorsed a series of recommendations, based on a study by the IB entitled “The Need for Improving
the Functioning of the PCT System”, that cover a variety of actions which should be undertaken by the IB,
applicants, contracting states and national offices to make the PCT system more effective both for
processing patent applications and for supporting technology transfer and technical assistance for
developing countries. Many of the proposals related to improving the quality of international search and
preliminary examination reports sought to build on efforts already under way by offices acting as
international authorities to improve their ability to search prior art from a wide range of sources and in a
large number of languages, and to share the results of those searches with other offices. The Working
Group also recommended some minor changes to the PCT regulations, which were adopted by the PCT
Assembly as set out under subsection D.1, above.
F.3 PCT Assembly
The 41st session of the Assembly of the PCT Union was held in Geneva during the period from September
20 to 29, 2010, as part of the meetings of the Assemblies of the member states of WIPO. The PCT Assembly
adopted amendments to the PCT regulations which will enter into force on July 1, 2011, as outlined under
“Changes to the Legal Framework”, above, and also noted reports on the work being undertaken by the
PCT Working Group and the PCT Meeting of International Authorities.