3.2.11.2 Amendments under Article 19 PCT 

3.2.030Amendments under Article 19 PCT are published by the IB. They are particularly useful if there is a reason to better define the scope of the claims for the purpose of securing provisional protection in the PCT contracting states offering it (see point 5.16.002).

3.2.031Applicants wishing to file amendments to the claims must submit a complete set of the claims in replacement of all claims originally filed. The basis for the amendments in the application as filed must also be indicated in an accompanying letter. 

3.2.032Amendments under Article 19 PCT are to be filed exclusively with the IB in the language of the international publication.

3.2.033Any amendment to the claims under Article 19 PCT is to be made:

–within two months of the date of transmittal of the search report or 

–within 16 months of the (earliest) priority date, 

whichever time limit expires later. 

Later-filed amendments are accepted if they are received before the technical preparations for international publication have been completed.