The Patent Co-operation Treaty, or PCT, tends to standardize the procedure for filing a patent application and makes it possible to perform one single filing (international application) covering a certain number of countries, conferring more time and a better basis for taking decisions with regard to the beginning of a granting process of patents in foreign countries.

The PCT is not dealing a granting procedure, but it refers to a system of unification of the procedure prior to the grant.

Advantages: it encompasses most of the developed countries, including JAPAN, USA and CANADA. It simplifies the initial procedures. It allows to defer the final decision of the designated countries until 30 months from the priority date. The same application may be used for the procedure of the EUROPEAN PATENT CONVENTION and EURO-PCT.

The procedure of the European patent process is based upon the EUROPEAN PATENT CONVENTION that essentially concerns a unified procedure for filing, examination and granting a patent.

The advantages of this procedure are as follows: in one single application in one language (German, English or French) may be designated 20 European countries. Granting procedure of the patent is simplified. As these patents are granted after a complete examination for patentability, performed by the competent Examination Division, these patents are strong and have a higher value than a national patent where such examination is not so complete.