The Islamic Republic of Iran has become a member of the Patent Corporation Treaty (PCT).  The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran entered into the agreement in July 2013 and it came into effect on 4 October 2013.

All new PCT applications filed on or after 4 October 2013 will automatically designate the Islamic Republic of Iran. The accession also means that nationals and residents of the Islamic Republic of Iran are now entitled to file international patent applications under the PCT and under Chapter II of the PCT, Iran will be designated in any demand for international preliminary examination filed by an applicant.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the 13th country in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) to join the PCT, and its accession to the treaty brings the number of contracting states of the PCT to 148.

As with all member states of the PCT, designation in the Islamic Republic of Iran does not guarantee grant of the application in that state but it does make the process of getting a patent granted in Iran somewhat simpler.  The PCT system offers the advantage that an international patent application is automatically designated in all member states, which reduces costs and simplifies the process of obtaining patent protection in various countries.

Iran is already a member of many other intellectual property agreements including the Madrid Agreement, the Madrid Protocol and the Lisbon Agreement. The Madrid system allows international trademarks to be registered centrally in any of the member states, where the international mark is equivalent to having the same mark registered directly in each country designated by the applicant. Under this system, changes and renewals can be recorded centrally.

If you would like any further information or would like to discuss PCT or Madrid trademark applications with regard to the Islamic Republic of Iran, or otherwise, please do not hesitate to contact us.