Executive Summary: Korea’s announced increase in its U.S.-dollar international search fee from $783 to $867, effective November 1, 2026, gives U.S. PCT applicants a reason to reassess ISA selection based on costs through the intended national-stage entry. Under the article’s standard-fee assumptions, the USPTO gains a $79 total-cost advantage over Korea for a small entity entering the U.S. national stage and offers the lowest illustrated total for a micro entity. IPOPHL merit

Executive Summary: PCT unity of invention and ordinary U.S. restriction practice apply different tests for determining which inventions may be examined together. PCT unity turns on a shared inventive technical relationship, while ordinary U.S. restriction requires independent or distinct inventions and a serious search or examination burden. Neither standard is uniformly more favorable. A U.S. national-stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 receives unity analysis, whereas a

Executive Summary: The USPTO’s PCT Informed Examination Request (PIER) pilot requires selected U.S. national-stage applicants to choose whether to proceed with examination, defer examination for twelve months, or expressly abandon the application after considering the international work products. Selection considers application age and pendency in the relevant technology area, with a preference for applications containing X- or Y-category references; favorable international f

Executive Summary: Chapter II of the Patent Cooperation Treaty offers applicants an optional opportunity to address examination objections, amend the application, and obtain an international preliminary examination report before national phase entry. Its greatest value arises when that process preserves commercially meaningful claims and produces identifiable benefits in the jurisdictions where protection is sought. A favorable report remains nonbinding: it does not guarantee

Executive Summary: Missing the twelve-month priority deadline after filing a U.S. provisional application does not necessarily foreclose international patent protection. A PCT application filed within the following two months may retain the provisional’s priority through a timely, supported restoration request. Filing directly with WIPO’s International Bureau as receiving Office (RO/IB) allows applicants to seek restoration under either the “due care” or “unintentional delay”