WIPO
INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
Regulations under the PCT
WOPCR
24/116

Rule 15

The International Fee

15.1       Basic Fee and Designation Fee

        Each international application shall be subject to the payment of a fee for the benefit of the International Bureau ("international fee") to be collected by the receiving Office and consisting of,

(i)
a "basic fee," and
(ii)
as many "designation fees" as there are national patents and regional patents sought under Rule 4.9(a), except that, where Article 44 applies in respect of a designation, only one designation fee shall be due for that designation, and that the Schedule of Fees may indicate a maximum number of designation fees payable.

15.2       Amounts

(a)
The amounts of the basic fee and of the designation fee are as set out in the Schedule of Fees.
(b)
The basic fee and the designation fee shall be payable in the currency or one of the currencies prescribed by the receiving Office ("prescribed currency"), it being understood that, when transferred by the receiving Office to the International Bureau, they shall be freely convertible into Swiss currency. The amounts of the basic fee and of the designation fee shall be established, for each receiving Office which prescribes the payment of those fees in any currency other than Swiss currency, by the Director General after consultation with the receiving Office of, or acting under Rule 19.1(b) for, the State whose official currency is the same as the prescribed currency. The amounts so established shall be the equivalents, in round figures, of the amounts in Swiss currency set out in the Schedule of Fees. They shall be notified by the International Bureau to each receiving Office prescribing payment in that prescribed currency and shall be published in the Gazette.
(c)
Where the amounts of the fees set out in the Schedule of Fees are changed, the corresponding amounts in the prescribed currencies shall be applied from the same date as the amounts set out in the amended Schedule of Fees.
(d)
Where the exchange rate between Swiss currency and any prescribed currency becomes different from the exchange rate last applied, the Director General shall establish new amounts in the prescribed currency according to directives given by the Assembly. The newly established amounts shall become applicable two months after the date of their publication in the Gazette, provided that the receiving Office referred to in the second sentence of paragraph (b) and the Director General may agree on a date falling during the said two-month period, in which case the said amounts shall become applicable from that date.

15.3       [Deleted]

15.4       Time Limit for Payment; Amount Payable

(a)
The basic fee shall be paid within one month from the date of receipt of the international application. The amount payable shall be the amount applicable on that date of receipt.
(b)
The designation fee shall be paid within a time limit of:
(i)
one year from the priority date, or
(ii)
one month from the date of receipt of the international application if that one-month period expires later than one year from the priority date.
(c)
Where the designation fee is paid before the expiration of one month from the date of receipt of the international application, the amount payable shall be the amount applicable on that date of receipt. Where the time limit under paragraph (b)(i) applies and the designation fee is paid before the expiration of that time limit but later than one month from the date of receipt of the international application, the amount payable shall be the amount applicable on the date of payment.

15.5       Fees Under Rule 4.9(c)

(a)
Notwithstanding Rule 15.4(b), the confirmation under Rule 4.9(c) of any designations made under Rule 4.9(b) shall be subject to the payment to the receiving Office of as many designation fees (for the benefit of the International Bureau) as there are national patents and regional patents sought by the applicant by virtue of the confirmation, together with a confirmation fee (for the benefit of the receiving Office) equal to 50% of the sum of the designation fees payable under this paragraph. Such fees shall be payable in respect of each designation so confirmed, even if the maximum number of designation fees referred to in item 2(a) of the Schedule of Fees is already payable or if a designation fee is already payable in respect of the designation under Rule 4.9(a) of the same State for a different purpose.
(b)
Where moneys paid by the applicant within the time limit under Rule 4.9(b)(ii) are not sufficient to cover the fees due under paragraph (a), the receiving Office shall allocate any moneys paid as specified by the applicant or, in the absence of such specification, as prescribed by the Administrative Instructions.

15.6       Refund

        The receiving Office shall refund the international fee to the applicant:

(i)
if the determination under Article 11(1) is negative,
(ii)
if, before the transmittal of the record copy to the International Bureau, the international application is withdrawn or considered withdrawn, or
(iii)
if, due to prescriptions concerning national security, the international application is not treated as such.
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