La Universidad Austral It hosted an international seminar on intellectual property where the private sector, public sector, and academia debated the importance of the country joining the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Research based on a survey of more than 350 stakeholders in the Argentine innovation ecosystem was presented: 91% stated that they would increase their international patenting activity if Argentina joined the system, while 43% of innovative SMEs reported having abandoned international protection projects due to the lack of accession to the treaty. Despite this consensus, the country remains outside the PCT, which, according to the analysis, limits the global reach of its technological developments.
An international seminar jointly organized by the Intellectual Property Center of the Universidad Austral met to representatives from the private sector, public sector, academics and diplomats, to discuss the strategic role that joining the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) would have for Argentina.
In this context, a new paper by academic and professor Lucas Lehtinen was presented, explaining that Argentina faces a structural disadvantage in the knowledge economy due to its non-participation in the PCT. Managed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), it is the main international system for protecting innovations in more than 150 countries.
The work —titled “Argentina and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Implications and Opportunities for DevelopmentThe study by Lucas Lehtinen analyzes, using empirical evidence, institutional data, and a survey, the legal, institutional, economic, and strategic implications of potential accession to the PCT. This survey included more than 350 stakeholders in the Argentine innovation system, including companies of varying sizes and sectors, entrepreneurs and technology startups, and technology transfer offices (TTOs) from universities and research centers. The survey was designed to capture perceptions of the current patent system, experiences with intellectual property internationalization processes, willingness to use the PCT, and the main barriers identified.
One of the most compelling findings of the study is the complete consensus among the surveyed stakeholders: 100% expressed support for joining the PCT and affirmed that they would use the system if it were available in Argentina. Furthermore, 91% stated that they would increase their international patenting activity in that scenario.
The report also reveals the main barriers that today they face Argentine companies, universities, and entrepreneurs seeking to protect their innovations abroad: 79% identify cost as the main obstacle, 61% point to a lack of information, and 48% express distrust in the effectiveness of the local system. As a result, 43% of innovative SMEs reported abandoning international protection projects due to the lack of access to the PCT.
“Non-adherence to the PCT is not neutral: it creates a structural inequality that harms local actors who compete on inferior terms in the global context,” says Lucas Lehtinen, from the Universidad Austral.
The book argues that joining the PCT would allow Argentine innovators to submit a single international application, extend the timeframes for deciding in which countries to protect their inventions, and access global-level technical assessments, significantly reducing initial internationalization costs.
“The PCT is not a technical procedure: it is productive infrastructure for the knowledge economy. The question is no longer whether Argentina should join, but whether it should,” the author concludes.
The book is presented in a context of growing relevance of technological innovation at a global level and consolidation of the Argentine entrepreneurial ecosystem, which today demands tools to compete on equal terms in international markets.
The book can be downloaded for free here https://estudiopct.ar/
