# Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

An international treaty allowing inventors to file a single "PCT application" that preserves the right to seek patent protection in 150+ member countries. A PCT filing buys time — typically 30 months from the priority date — before the applicant must commit to specific national filings. It is not a "world patent"; each country still examines and grants its own patent under its own laws.

**Full entry:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary/patent-cooperation-treaty

**All patent terms:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. A plain-English glossary of US patent terms._