# Patent Law Treaty

The Patent Law Treaty (PLT) is a treaty adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization signed on 1 June 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland, by 53 States and the European Patent Organisation (an intergovernmental organization). It entered into force on April 28, 2005. It aims at harmonizing and streamlining formal procedures such as the requirements to obtain a filing date for a patent application, the form and content of a patent application, and representation. The treaty "does not establish a uniform procedure for all parties to the PLT but leaves parties free to require fewer or more user-friendly requirements than those provided in the PLT." As of February 2023, the PLT had 43 contracting states.

## History

Contracting States to the Patent Law Treaty and dates of entry into force :
| Date | State |
| 28 April 2005 | Republic of Moldova, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ukraine, Republic of Estonia, Kingdom of Denmark, Republic of Croatia, Romania |
| 15 December 2005 | Bahrain |
| 6 March 2006 | Finland |
| 22 March 2006 | United Kingdom (including the Isle of Man) |
| 19 July 2006 | Uzbekistan |
| 16 October 2007 | Oman |
| 27 December 2007 | Sweden |
| 12 March 2008 | Hungary |
| 1 July 2008 | Switzerland |
| 16 March 2009 | Australia |
| 12 August 2009 | Russia |
| 18 December 2009 | Liechtenstein |
| 5 January 2010 | France |
| 22 April 2010 | North Macedonia |
| 17 May 2010 | Albania |
| 12 June 2010 | Latvia |
| 20 August 2010 | Serbia |
| 27 December 2010 | Netherlands (the whole Kingdom, except Aruba) |
| 19 October 2011 | Kazakhstan |
| 3 February 2012 | Lithuania |
| 9 March 2012 | Montenegro |
| 9 May 2012 | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 27 May 2012 | Ireland |
| 3 August 2013 | Saudi Arabia |
| 17 September 2013 | Armenia |
| 18 December 2013 | United States |
| 11 June 2016 | Japan |
| 21 October 2016 | Belarus |
| 4 January 2017 | Liberia |
| 22 August 2018 | North Korea |
| 25 June 2019 | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 30 October 2019 | Canada |
| 19 July 2021 | Turkmenistan |

### France

Prior to the entry into force of the treaty in France, a bill was submitted on 14 January 2009 at the French Senate proposing the ratification of the PLT by France. In March 2009, a report from French Senator Rachel Mazuir recommended the ratification of the PLT, as soon as possible, by France. On 24 July 2009, the government was authorized to ratify the PLT. The PLT then entered into force for France on 5 January 2010.

### United States

The Treaty was transmitted from the President to the Senate in 2006. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued its Executive Report 110-6 in November 2007. Non-self-executing portions of the PLT were implemented as statute by the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012, Pub. Law 112-211 (Dec. 12, 2012). The PLT was ratified by the United States on 18 September 2013, and the ratification instrument was forwarded to WIPO. The Patent Office's implementing regulations were proposed at 78 Fed. Reg. 21788 (Apr. 11, 2013) and issued as a Final Rule at 78 Fed. Reg. 62367 (Oct. 21, 2013).

### Mexico

Article 20(7)(3) of the proposed new NAFTA, in December 2019, stated that "Each Party shall give due consideration to ratifying or acceding to the PLT, or, in the alternative, shall adopt or maintain procedural standards consistent with the objective of the PLT".