{"id":10631,"date":"2025-06-05T13:27:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/?p=10631"},"modified":"2025-06-05T13:27:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:27:07","slug":"compreendendo-o-sistema-internacional-de-patentes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/compreendendo-o-sistema-internacional-de-patentes\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the International Patent System"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you are developing something innovative, it is important to be aware that disclosing your creation before filing a patent application may jeopardize the entire protection strategy \u2014 especially if you intend to exploit the invention on a global scale. This concern arises from the requirement of absolute novelty, a principle according to which the invention must be unprecedented anywhere in the world at the time of filing.<\/p>\n<p>This requirement, although essential, poses challenges when it comes to international protection. After all, the same invention needs to be requested in several jurisdictions \u2014 each with its own rules and deadlines \u2014 which makes strategic coordination essential.<\/p>\n<p>Since there is no single patent that is valid globally, it was necessary to develop an international system that would enable this protection in multiple territories. The two main instruments for this purpose are:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Paris Union Convention (CUP)<\/li>\n<li>Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Unionist Priority: Paris Union Convention (CUP)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The CUP, an agreement in force between more than 170 countries, guarantees an essential mechanism: the right of priority. This institute allows that, after filing a patent application in one of the member countries, the applicant has up to 12 months to file applications in the other signatory countries, preserving the original date of the first filing.<\/p>\n<p>This interval is essential because it ensures the novelty of the invention on the international scene, even if subsequent deposits are made at different times. In practice, the priority period allows the product to be validated on the market, the technology to be presented to investors and partners, and the financial structure for the expansion of protection.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>The Application through the PCT<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), offers a more robust alternative for those seeking structured international protection.<\/p>\n<p>Through the PCT, it is possible to file a single international application, which will be recognized by more than 150 countries. This application does not, in itself, result in the granting of the patent, but it postpones the need to file individual applications in each country, extending the deadline for up to 30 months from the priority date.<\/p>\n<p>Among the advantages of PCT are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carrying out a preliminary international search, which identifies similar documents already published and allows an initial technical assessment;<\/li>\n<li>Greater predictability about patent viability;<\/li>\n<li>More strategic organization of the process, especially useful for companies in the growth or internationalization phase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The international extension of patent protection requires considerable investment, especially when the aim is to cover multiple countries. Therefore, the decision must be guided by objective criteria, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Markets of commercial interest, with potential for economic exploitation of the invention;<\/li>\n<li>Manufacturing locations, in order to avoid copies at the source;<\/li>\n<li>Countries with a strong presence of competitors, where protection can act as a barrier to entry;<\/li>\n<li>Countries of interest to potential investors or strategic partners, aligning protection with possible international expansion plans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Although, at first glance, the PCT may seem less advantageous because it involves an investment and still requires subsequent filing in each jurisdiction of interest, the additional period granted \u2014 of up to 30 months \u2014 can be decisive. This time is valuable for raising funds, prospecting markets and maturing the project. It should be noted that, in all countries where the patent is not applied for within the legal deadlines, the invention will be considered to be in the public domain \u2014 that is, it will no longer be possible to obtain protection.<\/p>\n<p>Expanding patent protection beyond Brazilian borders is not a bureaucratic formality, but a strategic decision. It requires technical, legal and commercial planning, as well as the support of specialized consulting in the area of \u200b\u200bintellectual property.<\/p>\n<p>If your invention has international potential, it is worth knowing and using the available tools. The CUP and PCT are the main instruments that allow you to transform innovation into a strategic asset with global reach.<\/p>\n<p>With proper planning, a good invention can \u2014 literally \u2014 cross borders.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>by Gustavo Bahuschewskyj Correa \u2013 Lawyer, Master in Intellectual Rights from the University of Lisbon, Partner at Le\u00e3o PI.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Se voc\u00ea est\u00e1 desenvolvendo algo inovador, \u00e9 importante estar atento: a divulga\u00e7\u00e3o da sua cria\u00e7\u00e3o antes do dep\u00f3sito do pedido de patente pode comprometer toda a estrat\u00e9gia de prote\u00e7\u00e3o \u2014 especialmente se houver inten\u00e7\u00e3o de explorar o invento em escala global. Essa preocupa\u00e7\u00e3o decorre da exig\u00eancia da novidade absoluta, princ\u00edpio segundo o qual a inven\u00e7\u00e3o [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leao-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10631"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10632,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10631\/revisions\/10632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}