We will be closed between Friday 29th March and Monday 1st April for the Easter Bank Holidays, reopening at 8.30am on Tuesday 2nd April. Any orders received during this period will be processed with when we re-open.
The introduction of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement has established a global patent system requiring a high standard of patent protection. However, any consequential increase in patent applications will further strain the resources of patent offices worldwide. A monolithic ""World Patent Office"" granting ""World Patents"" will most likely remain a utopian idea but the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) has successfully demonstrated how to emulate a ""World Patent Office"" processing ""World Patent Applications"". The current PCT only goes halfway towards the grant of a patent, hence, the logical step to handle an increase in patent applications would be to further develop the PCT towards a patent grant procedure. This has been recognized and in late 2000, the Assembly of the PCT Union decided to set up a special body to consider a formal request by the United States for a ""Reform of the Patent Cooperation Treaty"".