Patent Law Treaties

Multilateral and bilateral trade agreements have helped standardize intellectual property laws globally.

The Paris Convention of 1883 ensures that foreign inventors from signatory countries are treated as nationals.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) of 1970 provides a common patent application clearinghouse for inventors wishing to
file for patents in multiple countries.

The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) of the WTO, adopted in 1994 and entered into
force in 1995, stipulates minimum IP standards for members of the WTO.

The Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV) Convention, adopted in 1961 and revised in 1972, 1978, and
1991, has established international standards for plant variety protection (PVP).

Trade leaders such as the United States and the European Union influence national policies of trade partners through bilateral
trade agreements.

Where domestic IP rights are not available for a newly invented technology, the inventor has the option of filing in other
countries where IP rights may be granted. Inventors around the world file in the major countries like United States, Europe,
and Japan.