The previous post here discussed the absurd situation that prevails at the ILPTO, under which one can pay ILPTO fees online but must still send the ILPTO a physical copy of the receipt of payment. Hitherto the situation regarding PCT fees for applications filed at the RO/IL was no less absurd, as until now these could only be paid in person at the Postal Bank, and a copy of the paper receipt then had to be sent to the RO/IL.
Today the ILPTO provided some encouraging news for filers who file at the RO/IL, as it announced via its email list (no online notice so far) that beginning July 28, it will be possible to pay PCT fees online for the RO/IL or ISA/IL, as well for the IB, ISA/US and ISA/EP, via the ILPTO’s online payment system. Moreover, the fees for the RO/IL or ISA/IL will be recorded directly in the ILPTO’s PCT department – no need to provide paper copies of the receipts. (For those who are nostalgic for the old system, it will still be possible to in person at the Postal Band.)
While this is a most welcome development, there’s still room for improvement. On the PCT side, many practitioners still prefer to file at the IB or the USPTO, as one can see what has been filed almost immediately through ePCT or PAIR, a feature that the IL/RO does not yet provide. And the fact that the ILPTO is capable of noting online payments as soon as they are made in PCT international phase applications only reinforces the question, why is it still necessary to file paper receipts confirming online payment of fees in non-PCT cases?