Third parties cannot access the documents in the file of an international application unless the applicant himself requests or authorizes it. That is, till the time of international publication that is 18 months after the priority date. If an applicant withdraws the application before international publication, then again, third parties cannot access it. PATENTSCOPE publishes every international application if everything is in order. At that point, there are certain documents which you can access.
If you are looking to search using a keyword, then the SERP will show you the following parameters:
- Appl. No
- Title
- Applicant
- Inventor
Third Parties access to documents in an International application
When you open a particular application, you will be able to see a more diverse set of options. You will have access to some tabs.
PCT Biblio. Data:
This will contain the bibliographical information about the invention.You can access information like Publication Number, Publication date, international application number, filing date, abstract, designated states, etc.
Description:
Here, you will find a detailed description of the invention such as the technical field, background of the invention, object of the invention, etc.
You will find more tabs such as Claims, National Phase, News, Documents.
In conclusion, these are the documents that a third party can access in an international application.
A Quick Guide to Patents- Can third parties access documents of an international application?
Here you can Download our FREE Help Guides: