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In simple words
PCT
Also called: Patent Cooperation Treaty, International application
There is no such thing as a world patent. There is, however, a way of keeping most of the world open for another year and a half.
- In simple words
- A treaty procedure that lets you file one international application that has the effect of a filing in every contracting state, and then decide later which countries to actually pursue.
- Think of it as
- A single application that buys time and keeps options open - not a patent.
- Why it matters
- A PCT application is never granted. It postpones the expensive decision: instead of filing in fifteen countries at twelve months, you file one application and enter national phases at (usually) thirty months. You also get an international search report, which is useful evidence about how strong your position really is.
- A simple example
- File in India in March 2026, file a PCT in March 2027 claiming priority, and enter national phase in the countries you actually care about around September 2028 - by which time you know far more about the market.
- Common mistake
- Calling it an “international patent”. No PCT application ever becomes a patent; national or regional offices grant patents.
Sources & further reading
Related
National phase
The stage at which a PCT application is taken into an individual country's system. In India the time limit is thirty-one months from the priority date.
Convention application
An application filed in India claiming priority from an application filed earlier in a convention country, within twelve months of that earlier filing.
Filing outside India without wasting money
By where a competitor would manufacture or sell, and where you could realistically enforce - then choose the route that fits how certain that list is.
You can get a worldwide patent.
There is no such thing. Patents are national. A PCT application is a procedure that keeps options open; it is never granted.
Keep going.
Every explanation here links to the ones next to it. Follow the thread rather than the menu.
Educational guidance, not legal advice. This material is published by Ragulika IP for general education and information. It is not legal advice, it does not create a professional-client relationship, and it is not a substitute for advice on your own facts. Patentability, infringement, prosecution strategy and every other IP outcome turn on the specific facts and on the law and Patent Office practice as they stand at the time you act. Please take professional advice before making a decision, and read the underlying provision or judgment before relying on any point stated here.
Last reviewed by Ragulika IP on 2026-08-23. Indian patent law and Patent Office practice change; check the position before you rely on it.