How should dates be formatted in a PCT application?
Proper date formatting is crucial in PCT applications. According to MPEP 1821:
“Each date appearing in the international application or in any correspondence must be indicated by the Arabic number of the day, the name of the month and the Arabic number of the year, in that order. In the request, after, below or above that indication, the date should be repeated in parentheses with a two-digit Arabic numeral each for the number of the day and for the number of the month and followed by the number of the year in four digits, in that order and separated by periods, slashes or hyphens after the digit pairs of the day and of the month.”
Examples of acceptable date formats:
- 20 March 2020 (20.03.2020)
- 20 March 2020 (20/03/2020)
- 20 March 2020 (20-03-2020)
This standardized format ensures clarity and consistency across all PCT documents.
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