PCT reference books
Updated and republished on 19 May 2025.
If you are preparing for the EPAC or EQE, you will definitely need an EPC and PCT reference book. In this post, I will list the different PCT reference books I am aware of. I am also summarising their features, advantages and disadvantages.
The last time I published this post, I wrote: “PCT reference books are less evolved, and the options I am listing in this post are not necessarily alternatives to each other, as they are all quite different.” Fortunately, that’s no longer the case, there are more and more amazing PCT reference books out there!
Please keep in mind that whatever books you choose, simply buying a book will not help you pass the exam. You will have to spend a lot of time with your chosen books to tab, highlight, annotate and get to know them. Furthermore, you can complement your reference book(s) with other materials, e.g. summaries from the EPO’s website or my freely printable tables.
PCT.App (by Pete Pollard, Till Andlauer, Stefan Ahlers, and Thomas Eissfeller)
This is the corresponding option to EPC.App I described in my post about the EPC reference books. It is relatively new, and very helpful. Similarly to EPC.App, it is not an app, but a website, i.e. a fully annotated PCT reference book that is online. PCT.App includes the full PCT Articles and Rules with Pete Pollard’s comments. Moreover, it also includes most sections of (and reference to) the PCT Applicant’s Guide.
For the exam, you can save a pdf and print it, or order a physical copy. It is recommended to get a printed version a few months before the exam so that you can get used to it.
A screenshot from PCT.App
As you can see, anything that is related is linked to the certain Article. On the right side, you can see the Author’s helpful comments, summaries. You can also add your own comments (both electronically or on paper).
PCT.App offers the same advantages as mentioned above for EPC.App. For example, you can access the website from wherever you are: your office, home or while travelling, without always having to take a heavy book with you.
A huge advantage is that we can save trees by not printing and shipping huge books over Europe. 🌳
Another big advantage is that the editors keep updating the PCT.App continuously. In case you find any error, they will correct it within a few hours, and you don't have to wait a full year for a new version. Also, in the PCT.App, your individual notes and annotations will always be retained despite the constant updates. So you can always use the most recent version, but your old comments will not disappear.
A few candidates in my Paper D1 study group used PCT.App. After each study group meeting (between September and mid-December), they added my comments and parts of my legal refreshers to their PCT.App. Then, around Christmas, once we had finished all the legal topics, they ordered the printed version of the book. In the final 2–3 months of preparation, they used only the physical copy to get used to it before the exam.
IP.appify GmbH offers Fillun study group members a discount code for 30% off the first year of an annual license for a first-time subscription to either EPC.App or PCT.App. (The second app is offered at a 40% discount anyway.)
Annotated PCT (edited by Malte Köllner)
The Annotated PCT (created by a group of four people: Barbara Heidecke, Thomas Henninger, Malte Köllner and Piotr Wierzejewski) definitely fills a major gap. It's comprehensive, well-structured, and looks incredibly useful! I can't even begin to comprehend how much work must have gone into this. This reference book is 876 pages long, and includes all the PCT Articles, Rules, overview of the corresponding legal text, and comments too.
This new PCT reference book provides in-depth and extensive annotations to the entire text of the PCT as of 2024, with explanations of legal principles, cross references and interrelations between legal provisions, and an extensive index. Resulting from a fusion of the two preeminent works PCT Strategy and Practice (2021) and PCT-Handbuch (17th edition, 2023), it represents the most comprehensive commentary on the PCT.
The book further includes helpful Annexes (List of Territories; List of Contracting States with Time Limits for Entry into the National Phase; Access to Files) and a long, detailed Index to help with the search.
I think all candidates who already started their preparation with another book will be a bit upset that this one wasn’t available earlier! 😅 Yes, it’s that good. If I were starting my EQE preparation today, I would probably choose this book.
The book is also well-structured and easy to read: it uses different background colours to distinguish between sections: dark grey for the legal text, light grey for the overview of the corresponding legal basis (Rules, other Articles, case law, AG-IP, AIs, etc.), and white for the author’s comments.
Please see an example page below.
The book was last updated in December 2024, and is already available for purchase.
The Cross-Referenced Patent Cooperation Treaty (by Roel van Woudenberg and Cees Mulder)
This book includes the full PCT Articles and rules, and it is cross-referenced. As the name suggests, “cross-referenced” means it guides you to related Rules or relevant parts of the PCT Applicant’s guide, which is really helpful.
At the back of the book there are several useful annexes included. A favourite among my candidates is Annex 2, which lists the main procedural steps along with the corresponding legal basis. Some use it as a starting point to find the relevant PCT Article or Rule when answering PCT-related legal questions.
To give you an idea, this is what an Article in this book looks like.
The disadvantage is that there are no comments, no explanations included.
The Cross-Referenced Patent Cooperation Treaty has already been updated for EQE 2027 and is available to purchase.
PCT Applicant’s Guide
Although this is not a reference book either, the PCT Applicant’s Guide – in particular the “Introduction to the International Phase” part – is probably still one of the most useful materials from this list, and it is free.
The disadvantage is that in Paper D1, you cannot use the PCT Applicant’s Guide as the legal basis. You need to provide the specific PCT Articles or Rules as legal basis. Although these are mentioned in the PCT Applicant’s Guide, it is not clear what the legal basis for each sentence is. Sometimes you can see three or even more different rules mentioned for a paragraph in the PCT Applicant’s Guide, which means that you have to check all of them to find out which one you actually need to cite in your answer. However, this is not always the case, so it’s still worth using the PCT Applicant’s Guide; especially when you have to check certain things about certain Receiving Offices.
This is what I mean, see two examples below ⬇️
For Paper F or EPAC however, PCT Applicant’s Guide doesn’t really have any disadvantages (since no legal basis needs to be cited in these exams).
You have access to the PCT Applicant’s Guide within WISEflow too. This means that you no longer have to print the Guide but can use the online version even during your exam.
However, even if you do want to print the PCT Applicant’s Guide, please don’t print everything. It is more than enough to print the “Introduction to the International Phase” part. (This is where helpful questions and answers are provided with legal basis.) You can annotate and tab this part. Should you need any of the annexes for any of the legal questions, you can check them online. If you really want to have the most important Annexes with you on paper, print the Annexes of EPO, IB, USPTO, and the offices of CN (CNIPA), JP (JPO), KR (KIPO), DE, GB, FR.
PCT & UP Handbook (Ignacio Lobato)
The PCT & UP Handbook by Ignacio Lobato is a comprehensive, exam-oriented reference book covering the PCT procedure, the Euro-PCT procedure and the Unitary Patent system. It is particularly designed for candidates preparing for the legal parts of the EQE and EPAC, including the new M2 and M4 modules.
Unlike reference books that primarily reproduce the PCT Articles and Rules with annotations, this handbook follows the procedure itself. The different stages of an international application are explained step by step in a concise bullet-point format, with the relevant PCT Articles and Rules, time limits, fees, EPO and WIPO practice, examples and typical exam situations integrated directly into the explanation. Legal bases, time limits and other important information are visually highlighted, which makes it easy to find information quickly during exam preparation.
The second edition has been extensively revised and expanded and incorporates the April 2026 editions of the PCT Applicant’s Guide (International and National Phase), the Guidelines for Search and Examination at the EPO as PCT Authority and the Unitary Patent Guidelines. It therefore brings together information that would otherwise have to be searched for across several different official sources.
A particularly useful feature for EQE candidates is the large number of cross-references, tables, examples and time-limit calculations. The book also includes a fast-computation table and calendars for calculating EPC and PCT time limits. Ignacio additionally provides a detailed index, editable table of contents for tabbing, calendars and other supplementary materials free of charge on his website.
The PCT & UP Handbook is published by Wolters Kluwer and is intended to complement Ignacio’s EPC Handbook. Together, the two books provide a structured reference covering EPC, PCT and Unitary Patent law for the EQE and EPAC.
German books
PCT.App is available in German as well.
Additionally, for German speaking candidates, there are additional books:
"Verfahrenspraxis EPÜ und PCT" also known as the "Großmann";
EPÜ- und PCT-Tabellen by Düwel that is tabulated with EPC and PCT side-by-side;
Köllner’s PCT-Handbuch that is hierarchically structured, and includes detailed overviews and an alphabetical subject index.
A German speaking candidate shared their experience: “I used the EPC and PCT tables by Düwel and they are great for D and any other legal questions, because you can find the Articles and Rules grouped by topic with references to other relevant legal texts (Articles/Rules, Guidelines, case law,...) in the last column so you can quickly find any relevant answers to questions once you found something related. In the back you find an index and a summary of all G desicions in case you need to look up the guiding principles.”
You can read about the Topic-Related Index and further information, tips about reference books in my other blog post about EPC reference books.
Do you have any comments about the PCT reference books?
We (me and the EQE candidates) would love to hear your opinion!