Patents
International Bureau Closure Dates - 2021
February 08, 2021
A list of the days on which the International Bureau (IB) is closed in the remainder of 2021 is provided below. Should a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) document or fee be required to reach the IB on a day on which the IB is closed, the deadline is extended to the next day thereafter on which the IB is open.
The days on which the International Bureau is closed for the remainder of 2021 are: all Saturdays and Sundays, 2nd April, 5th April, 13th May 2021, 24th May, 9th September, 24th December, and 31st December.
A Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application, otherwise known as an international patent application, is a single patent application that can be filed which facilitates the filing of patent applications in over 150 countries. PCT application can be useful in delaying the costs of filing foreign patent applications in a large number of countries.
A PCT application can be filed at the International Bureau (IB) or at a competent national or regional office. During the application process, if a document or fee must reach the IB by a date on which the IB is closed, the deadline is extended to the next subsequent day on which the IB is open (Rule 80.5 PCT).
Michael Loadman
Associate