Argentine Senate advances Patent Cooperation Treaty ratification

The Argentine Senate's committees on Foreign Relations and Worship, and Industry and Commerce, have issued a favorable report on the project to ratify the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The initiative, which previously received half-sanction from the Chamber of Deputies, aims to modernize Argentina's patent framework, which currently relies on an agreement from 1884.

The report includes a specific reservation regarding Chapter II intended to protect the domestic pharmaceutical industry. Supporters, including Senator Francisco Paoltroni and La Libertad Avanza leader Patricia Bullrich, argued that the treaty facilitates international cooperation for patent applications without creating a “world patent” or stripping the country of its authority to decide which inventions deserve protection under national law.

Opposition within the Senate has raised concerns. Senator Jorge Capitanich questioned the legal efficacy of the proposed safeguards and noted that the Executive Branch must clarify if such reservations satisfy international commitments. The project is scheduled for debate in the Senate chamber on October 22.