PCTxs is an internet based marketplace offering technology for sale or license in the form of National Phase patent application rights associated with published PCT International Patent Applications.
BACKGROUND
Every year, approximately 200,000 new International Patent Applications are filed on a worldwide basis, legally reserving potential patent rights in 148 countries around the world for up to 30 (or in some cases 31, and in one case, 42) months, which will be referred to here as the “30 month
window”.
At the end of the 30 month window, these potential rights expire to the extent that the owner does not “enter the National Phase” (or in some cases, the “regional phase”) in one or more countries. (“Entering the National Phase” means converting the International Patent Application into National Phase patent application(s) in one or more countries.)
In other words, when a person files an International Patent Application, that application does not result in patents in the 148 member countries, but merely gives the owner the right to convert that International Patent Application into one or more identical national patent applications – one for each of the 148 member countries. The International Patent Application does not continue to be processed after the national entry deadlines expire; its usefulness expires at the conclusion of the 30 month window.
Converting a single International Patent Application into National Phase patent applications in each of the 148 countries is very expensive (the fees per country include local government fees, local attorney charges, domestic attorney charges, and where required, translation charges), ranging from approximately $2000 to $7000 or more, per country or region.
If the owner of an International Patent Application does not enter the National Phase in one or more countries, those national rights are forever lost in those countries, with the technology falling into the public domain.
As a matter of practicality, owners often choose fewer than ten countries and regions, the remaining countries and regions being too expensive. As a result, those potential patent rights expire unless they are sold prior to the expiration of the 30 month window to a party interested in completing the National Phase entry.
By way of example, more than 200,000 International Patent Applications were filed on a worldwide basis in 2013. That same year, only approximately 20,000 National Phase patent applications were filed in Australia, meaning that only about 10% of all possible technologies entered the National Phase, while the remaining 90% fell into the public domain. Similarly, only 26,000 National Phase patent applications were filed in Canada in 2013. Approximately 120,000 National Phase patent applications were filed that year in the United States.
PCTxs technology will facilitate domestic access to foreign technology, and foreign access to domestic technology, helping domestic businesses and institutions on both sides of the PCTxs equation.
In the context of universities, PCTxs technology will open up important new foreign and domestic markets. As it presently stands, the revenues from licensing or selling technology by seven out of eight American university tech transfer offices do not cover the cost of running that office. (New York Times, November 20, 2013)
For manufacturers (purchasers/licensees) interested in exploiting the technology in new markets, acquiring this technology and exclusivity through PCTxs
has the potential of saving tens of thousands of dollars in research and development costs, patent agency costs, and time to market.
THE SOLUTION
PCTxs is a fully searchable, auto-populating, internet based marketplace for the sale or license of available National Phase patent application rights for International Patent Applications around the world. PCTxs may also be used for non-PCT applications and non-published PCT applications.
PCTxs provides the user with links to the actual International Patent Application as filed with the International Patent Office, the full Written Opinion of the International Patent Office, and the opportunity to link to a promotional video or images that are relevant to the technology. (The Written Opinion of the International Patent Office is a formal, written assessment and analysis of whether the technology claimed in the International Patent Application, in the opinion of an independent and respected Patent Office, is patentable.) This gives all potential buyers an unbiased third party assessment of the likelihood that the
technology claimed in the International Patent Application is patentable.
PCTxs technology is easily searchable by owner, technology, classification, inventor, patent application, or other useful criteria. Search analysis tools allow the user to identify opportunities where the owner clearly has faith in his or her technology, but hasn’t fully converted the opportunity by securing patents in all countries. (For example, an owner may choose to acquire rights in the United States, Europe and Japan, but not in Canada, Australia or India, which might indicate an attractive opportunity in those markets.)
PCTxs initially launched in English, and will shortly be launched in French, Spanish and Chinese.
THE PRICE
PCTxs is FREE to those posting and publishing National Phase patent application rights for International Patent Applications for sale or license.
PCTxs is FREE to those searching, shopping, and wishing to contact the owner/representative.
While these prices may change at some point in the future, our commitment to universities, colleges and legitimate not-for-profit research organizations around the world will not. We will never charge qualified universities, colleges and legitimate not-for-profit research organizations to post and publish their PCT applications for sale or license.
PCTxs is the trademark and trade name of PCTxs Inc. PCTxs is not affiliated in any way with the USPTO, CIPO, EPO, WIPO, JPO, SIPO or any other patent office, government patent agency or organization anywhere in the world. PCTxs patents are pending, naturally.