What is the International Preliminary Examination Report (IPER)?
The International Preliminary Examination Report (IPER), also known as the International Preliminary Report on Patentability (Chapter II of the Patent Cooperation Treaty), is a document established on Form PCT/IPEA/409. As stated in the MPEP, “The international preliminary examination report contains, among other things, a statement (in the form of simple “yes” or “no”), in relation to each claim which has been examined, on whether the claim appears to satisfy the criteria of novelty, inventive step (non-obviousness) and industrial applicability.” The report also includes citations of relevant documents and explanations supporting the examiner’s conclusions.
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