The Paris Convention is an international treaty that enables residents of member countries to file patent applications in other member countries. A Paris Convention patent application must be filed within one year of the original (home country) patent application, and it must be accompanied by a certified copy of the original application and a translation into the language of the foreign country.
If a patent application is to be filed in three or four foreign countries, the Paris Convention is usually less expensive than the Patent Cooperation Treaty. However, if patent protection is sought in all seventeen (17) countries of Europe, for example, more savings are realized if the Patent Cooperation Treaty is used.