1. Start of the international preliminary examination

2. Time limit for international preliminary examination

3. Extension of the time limit

Before initiating the protest procedure the formal admissibility of the protest in the sense of Rule 68.3(c) (Chapter II) must be checked.[Rule 68.3(c); (e); GL/ISPE 10.79; ]

To be admissible the protest should satisfy the following requirements:

In reply to Form 405, applicants may pay some or all of the additional fees under protest.

If, in reply to the invitation in Form 405, the applicant neither restricts the claims nor pays additional examination fees, or if the applicant does not reply, the WO-IPEA/IPER is established on the basis of the main or first invention mentioned in the invitation to pay additional fees (Form 405) and for which the search fee has been paid.

If, at the search stage, an objection of lack of unity was raised but exceptionally it was chosen not to request the applicant to pay additional search fees, the examination is carried out on the entire application. No invitation to pay additional fees (Form 405) is sent; instead, the WO-IPEA/IPER is established for all searched inventions.