24 No. 10 Patents and Industrial Designs Act 2012 PART VI - INTERNATIONAL APPLICATIONS UNDER THE � PATENT COOPERATION TREATY AND THE ARIPO � PROTOCOL � Interpretation of terms relating to the patent cooperation treaty. Filing date and effects of International application designating Sierra Leone. Receiving Office. 38. � For the purposes of this Part "designate", designated Agency", "elected Agency", "international application", "international filing date", "international preliminary examination", and "receiving Agency" have the same meanings as in the Patent Co-operation Treaty. 39. An international application designating Sierra Leone shall, subject to this Part, be treated as an application for a patent filed under this Act having as its filing date the international filing date accorded under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. 40. The Registry shall act as receiving office in respect of an international application filed with it by a resident or citizen of Sierra Leone. Filing of International applications with the Registry. 41. An international application filed with the Registry as receiving Office shall be filed in English and the prescribed transmittal fee shall be paid to the Registrar within one month from the date of receipt of the international application. Designated Office. 42. The Registry shall act as a designated office in respect of an international application in which Sierra Leone is designated for the purposes of obtaining a national patent under this Act. Elected Office. 43. The Registry shall act as elected Office in respect of an international application in which Sierra Leone is designated as referred to in section 42 if the applicant elects Sierra Leone for the purposes of international preliminary examination under Chapter II of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Processing of international applications. 44. The Registry as designated office or elected office shall not commence processing of an international application designating Sierra Leone before the expiration of the time limit referred to in section 41 except if the applicant complies with the requirements of that section and files with the Agency an express request for early commencement of the processing. No. 10 Patents and Industrial Designs Act 25 2012 45. The applicant in respect of an international application Entering designating Sierra Leone shall, before the expiration of the time limit national phase. applicable under Article 22 or 39 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty or such later time as may be prescribed (a) � pay the prescribed fee to the Registrar; and (b) � if the international application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty as a translation into English, file with the Registrar an English translation of the international application 46. If the applicant does not comply with the requirements of section 45 within the time limit referred to in that section, the international application shall be considered withdrawn for the purposes of this Act Failure to enter national phase. 47. (1) The Registrar shall process international applications in accordance with the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Regulations and administrative instructions made under it and with this Act. Processing of international applications in accordance with Treaty. (2) In the event of conflict, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Regulation and the Administrative instructions made under the Treaty shall prevail over the provisions of this Act. (3) Regulations may be made under this section to provide for the payment of fees, time limits, prescribed languages and other requirements relating to international applications. 48. (1) Relief may be sought in respect of acts committed before the grant of the patent but after the date of international publication was effected in English. (2) Where the international publication was effected in a language other than English, subsection (1) shall apply if the applicant had transmitted an English translation of the international publication to the infringer and only in respect of acts committed by the latter after he has received the translation. Provisional protection of published international applications.