There are quite a few upcoming opportunities to learn about the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
Of course a very good way to learn of upcoming learning opportunities about PCT is to check the PCT Seminar Calendar at the web site of WIPO. WIPO updates this calendar frequently.
Upcoming programs include:
- PCT Seminar, September 21-22, Cary, NC. (North Carolina Bar Association, yours truly among the faculty.)
- PCT Seminar “Essential PCT”, October 3, Atlanta, GA. (PCT Learning Center, yours truly among the faculty.)
- Advanced PCT Seminar and Symposium on International Authorities, October 5, Washington, DC. (PCT Learning Center, yours truly among the faculty.)
- The Essential PCT, October 19, Milwaukee, WI. (PCT Learning Center.)
- ePCT Training Seminar, October 30, Irvine, CA. (PCT Learning Center.)
- ePCT Training Seminar, November 1, San Francisco, CA. (PCT Learning Center.)
- PCT Seminar, November 1, Boston, MA (Boston Patent Law Association.)
- PCT Boot Camp, November 2, Seattle, WA (PCT Learning Center.)
- ePCT Training Seminar, November 3, Seattle, WA. (PCT Learning Center.)
- PCT lecture within the framework of the “Patent Administration: A Foundation for Success” course, November 8-9, Philadelphia, PA. (Patent Resources Group, yours truly presenting.)
The fee that ISA/SG charges per invention to carry out a PCT search will increase on November 1, 2017. The fee charged in US dollars will increase from $1552 to $1645. 
I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but something about the previous blog post made me think of this card that I received today from United Airlines, showing that I have now reached “million mile” status.
Many readers may have followed with interest the news of a recently discovered triceratops fossil. I note that the dinosaur was found about seven miles east of the Westminster, Colorado office of Oppedahl Patent Law Firm LLC.
A couple of weeks ago I had the great honor to visit at WIPO with the heads of some of the PCT processing teams. These are the people at the International Bureau who interact with callers (applicants and patent practitioners) who have questions and problems relating to PCT. One of the things that they mentioned to me, that I found puzzling when I first heard it, is that in recent months they have received ever-increasing numbers of complaints from people who call to report that they try to send faxes to the International Bureau and are unable to do so. Upon reflection I now realize the likely cause of this problem. And it is definitely not that there is some recent malfunction in WIPO’s fax machines.
We are all accustomed to using “ping” as a way to test Internet connectivity and to measure the latency of an Internet connection. This post talks about a similar function for telephones, a function that can be very helpful in testing the configuration of a VOIP (voice over IP) telephone.