A change in CAS indexing policy now allows for both the PCT application and the national equivalent(s) with oldest priority to be covered as basic patents in CA/CAplus. The PCT application often describes the chemistry more broadly than the national application, and this will result in additional substance and sequence registrations. 

Both the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application and its original national equivalent(s) with oldest priority, from the U.S., Germany, Great Britain, France, Canada, and/or the EPO, are now being covered as basic patents in CA/CAplus. If the first national application with oldest priority was filed in a country other than those listed above, then CAS' traditional rule, that the basic is the first patent to arrive at CAS, will apply. 

Extensive subject and substance indexing is added to chemistry-related basic patent records in CA/CAplus. With the new expanded definition of a basic patent, the number of patents eligible for basic patent analysis will increase, enhancing overall coverage of chemical substance information in CAS databases, including CAS REGISTRY. Approximately 7,500 additional chemistry-related patent records will be added to CA/CAplus in 2008.