Spain joins the Patent Law Treaty

On 6 August, Spain’s ratification of the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). This Treaty, adopted in Geneva on 1 June 2000, will take effect in Spain as from 6 November 2013.

The PLT aims to rationalise and harmonise formal requirements for submitting and maintaining patent applications.

The provisions of the PLT refer where possible to those of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) to ensure that national regulations regarding patent formalities do not differ from international ones.

It is hoped that harmonisation of the different national procedures will promote protection by patents all over the world, leading to a reduction in costs.

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