yes. The applicant may request to change the patent type from invention to utility model before the invention patent application is granted.
- via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
- via Nationalization of PCT : 31 months from earliest priority date.
- yes. The same category may include multiple designs in one design.
Novelty of the invention shall not be lost if the inventor, or a third party who directly or indirectly obtains relevant information from the inventor, discloses the invention information within 12 months before the filing date/priority date.
UKRPATENT only conducts formality examination of utility model patent applications. The objects protected by utility models are the same as those protected by invention patents (i.e. products, processes, new uses of known products and processes).
UKRPATENT conducts formality examination and substantive examination of invention patent applications. The applicant needs to submit a request for substantive examination and pay the official fee within 3 years from the filing date.
If the designer or a third party who directly or indirectly obtains relevant information from the designer discloses the design within 12 months before the filing date/priority date, the design will not lose its novelty.
20 years
no
no
