Novelty Grace Period for French Invention Patent Application

no. (Utility models submitted before January 11, 2020 can be converted into inventions, provided that the technical preparations for publication are completed (approximately 16 months from the filing date). Search fees and search reports must be submitted at the same time.)

• Grant fee: The applicant needs to pay the granted fee after receiving the granted notice.
• Annuity: From the first year of application, the annual fee is paid year by year, and the annual fee for the first year is included in the application fee. The annual fee for the second year is payable on the anniversary date of the patent application. If the annual fee is overdue, you can pay it within a grace period of 6 months, and pay a late fee at the same time.

yes. Multiple designs may be included in one French design application, provided that the designs belong to the same class in the International Classification of Designs.

• via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.

20 years

INPI

English: L'Institut national de la propriété industrielle, abbreviation: INPI

Website: www.inpi.fr

French Utility Model Search: Recherche avancée - Data INPI

• Licensing Fee: None.
• Annuity: The renewal fee is paid every 5 years. The renewal fee must be paid within 6 months before the last day of the month when the registration expires. The grace period for the penalty is 6 months, and the penalty must be paid at the same time.

6-8 months

INPI only conducts formality examination of utility model patent applications, and does not conduct search and substantive examination. However, in case of litigation, a search report needs to be submitted.