On October 7, 2024, Uruguay will proceed to deposit the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) to become a member of the PCT. In this way, on January 7, 2025 this agreement will enter into force and Uruguay will be eligible for the admission and reception of PCT applications.
Uruguay will be the 158th country to join the Treaty, being other Latin American countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Colombia already joined. However, important countries in the region, such as Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Venezuela, are not adhered to this Treaty.
PCT simplifies the process of a patent application when protection is sought in several countries, since the filing of a single application produces identical effects and enjoys the same legal validity in all countries that designate and are members of the PCT for a period of 30/31 months. Although the PCT is not a patent granting procedure (it neither grants nor denies applications), it does provide a system for unifying the initial processing of a patent application, with the consequent reduction in the cost of said initial. For a patent registration, the applicant must enter the national or regional phases where it is wished to apply for that right before those 30/31 months
Spain is a member of the PCT Treaty since 1989 and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) acts as receiving Office for PCT applications whose applicants are Spanish or have residence in Spain.
Do you want to know more? Contact Carlos Baños, our patents head.
Carlos Baños
Head of the Patent Department
