PCT Newsletter Highlights for December 2005

Here are some highlights from the December 2005 PCT Newslettter available at http://www.wipo.int/edocs/pctndocs/en/2005/pct_news_2005_12.pdf

Non-Working Days at the International Bureau for 2006

For the purposes of computing time limits under PCT Rule 80.5, the days on which the International Bureau (IB) will not be open for business are, for the period from 1 January to
31 December 2006, the following:

All Saturdays and Sundays, and
2 and 10 January 2006
14 and 17 April 2006
25 May 2006
5 June 2006
1 August 2006
7 September 2006
25 and 26 December 2006

Signatures for Entry into the National Phase in Germany

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office has deleted the following special requirement under PCT Rule 51bis for entry into the national phase before it as designated and elected Office:
furnishing of confirmation of the international application by the signature of any applicant who has not signed the request.


Evidence of Mailing to the European Patent Office

There have been changes in the requirements of the European Patent Office (EPO) as to the acceptability of evidence of mailing of a document, in case of loss or delay, where a delivery service other than the postal authorities is used; it will now accept such evidence provided provided that the delivery service is: Chronopost, Deutsche Post Express, DHL, Federal Express, LTA, TNT, SkyNet or UPS.


Biological Depository in Spain

The following depositary institution has acquired the status of international depositary authority under the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure, with which deposits of microorganisms and other biological material may be made:

Banco Nacional de Algas (BNA)
Marine Biotechnology Center
University of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Muelle de Tailiarte s/n
35214 Telde
Las Palmas, Spain

Video Presentation in Japanese

A new video presentation in Japanese is available on the PCT website. The video, featuring Toshiaki Nakamaki, Counsellor, PCT External Relations Division, was made on 28 July 2005 at a PCT seminar in Japan. It can be downloaded or viewed online in two different
formats, depending on your connection speed, at www.wipo.int/ja/pct/video/seminar


Table of Time Limits for Entering the National/Regional Phase

The table of time limits for entering the national/regional phase under PCT Chapters I and II, as updated on 17 November 2005, is now available in English and French at, respectively:
www.wipo.int/pct/en/texts/pdf/time_limits.pdf and www.wipo.int/pct/fr/texts/pdf/time_limits.pdf


Power of Attorney Waivers

The table showing the PCT Office/Authorities which have notified WIPO that they have waived the requirement to submit a power of attorney under PCT Rule 90.4(b) and/or Rule 90.5(a)(ii) has been updated and appears on pages is available on the PCT website at www.wipo.int/pct/en/texts/pdf/p_a_waivers.pdf.


Table of Reservations and Incompatibilities

The table containing all PCT reservations and incompatibilities was updated on 17 November
2005, in English, French, German and Spanish, and is available at, respectively:

www.wipo.int/pct/en/texts/reservations/res_incomp.pdf
www.wipo.int/pct/fr/texts/reservations/res_incomp.pdf
www.wipo.int/pct/es/texts/reservations/res_incomp.pdf
www.wipo.int/pct/de/texts/reservations/res_incomp.pdf