PCT NATIONAL PHASE ENTRY
Cambodia

Cambodia became a Contracting Party to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property on September 22, 1998, and later joined the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) on December 08, 2016. Additionally, Cambodia participates in the ASEAN Intellectual Property (IP) Register, a regional platform for IP information sharing.

In Cambodia, the deadline for initiating the national phase of a PCT application is 30 months from the earliest priority date.

Khmer is the official language in Cambodia. While applications can be initially filed in English, a Khmer translation must be provided within six months after entering the PCT national phase.

There is no extension for filing a late patent application in Cambodia once the 30-month deadline has passed. 

The essential documents required for filing a national phase application in Cambodia includes: 

• Power of Attorney: A notarized Power of Attorney should be submitted within two months from the entry into the PCT national phase in Cambodia. 

• Priority Deed of Assignment: A notarized Deed of Assignment is required when applicant is other than one in priority document and is submitted within two months from the entry into the PCT national phase in Cambodia. 

There is no cost exemption available for filing patent application in Cambodia. 

In Cambodia, a request for substantive examination must be submitted upon entry into the PCT national phase. The Cambodian Patent Office does not conduct substantive examinations itself but relies on international search and examination reports from corresponding applications filed in other jurisdictions. 

If the applicant is unable to provide the results of a foreign examination, the Cambodian Patent Office will, upon the applicant's request, engage a foreign searching and examining authority to perform the substantive examination. 

In the event of a substantive refusal, a response must be filed within five months from the date of notification. 

Annual fees are payable each year, beginning from the second year, on the anniversary of the international filing date. If an annual fee is not paid by the due date, it can still be settled within a six-month grace period, subject to a late payment surcharge. 

In Cambodia, a patent is granted for a standard term of 20 years from the filing date of the application.

In the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024, Cambodia is ranked 103rd out of 133 economies. Within the group of 38 lower-middle-income countries, it holds the 21st position, and ranks 15th among 17 economies in the South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania region. Cambodia's key innovation strengths include leading in loans from microfinance institutions as a percentage of GDP (ranked 1st), strong domestic credit to the private sector (ranked 5th), and notable FDI net inflows as a percentage of GDP (ranked 7th).

Cambodia, is a constitutional monarchy with a rapidly developing economy driven by tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. The country has a young population and a growing labor force, which supports its low-cost manufacturing sector, particularly in textiles and garments. The country is a member of ASEAN and has been actively working to improve its legal and regulatory framework, including intellectual property laws, to attract foreign investment.