Budapest Treaty facts for kids
| Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure | |
|---|---|
| Signed | 28 April 1977 |
| Location | Budapest, Hungary |
| Effective | 19 August 1980 |
| Condition | ratification by five States |
| Parties | 86 |
| Depositary | Director-General of WIPO |
| Language | English, French |
The Budapest Treaty is an international agreement signed in Budapest, Hungary. It was signed on April 28, 1977. This treaty helps countries agree on how to handle patents for tiny living things called microorganisms. It officially started on August 19, 1980. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) helps manage this treaty.
Contents
What is the Budapest Treaty?
The Budapest Treaty makes it easier for inventors to protect their new ideas that involve microorganisms. Imagine someone invents something using a special type of bacteria. To get a patent, they usually have to describe their invention very clearly. But it's hard to describe a microorganism perfectly so others can use it.
Why is it important for inventions?
This treaty solves that problem. Instead of just describing the microorganism, inventors can "deposit" a sample of it. They place it in a special, trusted lab called an International Depositary Authority. This deposit then counts as a clear description for their patent application.
How does the treaty help inventors?
Before this treaty, an inventor might have to deposit their microorganism in every country where they wanted a patent. That would be a lot of work and cost a lot of money! The Budapest Treaty means they only need to deposit it once. This single deposit is then accepted by all countries that are part of the treaty. It makes getting patents for inventions with microorganisms much simpler and cheaper.
Who is part of the Budapest Treaty?
As of April 2022, 86 countries have joined the Budapest Treaty. Countries that are part of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property can also join this treaty. Some groups of countries, like the European Patent Organisation (EPO), have also agreed to follow the treaty's rules.
What can be deposited?
The treaty talks about "microorganisms," but it doesn't give a super strict definition. This means many different types of tiny living things and biological materials can be deposited.
Examples of things you can deposit
Here are some examples of what can be deposited:
- Tiny living cells like bacteria and fungi.
- Parts of cells or genetic material, like plasmids or viruses, that carry genes.
- Organisms used to make proteins from DNA.
- Things like yeast, algae, and protozoa.
- Purified DNA or RNA.
- Even "naked" DNA or plasmids that aren't inside a cell.
Where are deposits made?
Deposits are made at special labs called International Depositary Authorities (IDAs). These labs follow specific rules from the treaty. As of July 2018, there were 47 IDAs in about 25 different countries around the world.
See also
In Spanish: Tratado de Budapest para niños
- List of parties to the Budapest Treaty
- American Type Culture Collection (ATCC)
- Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS)
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community (DSMZ)
- European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures (ECACC)
- National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC)
- World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC)
- National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC)
- National Collection of Industrial Food and Marine Bacteria (NCIMB)
