Belgian Federal Government Intellectual Property Office
English: The Belgian Intellectual Property Office, Abbreviation: IPObel
Website: Intellectual property | FPS Economy (fgov.be)
Belgian invention patent search: Search in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) | CBE Public Search (fgov.be)
- via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
- Validation of European Patent in EPO member states: 3 months from the date of European patent grant.
yes. A maximum of 50 designs may be included under the same Locarno category.
no
IPObel conducts only formality examination of invention patent applications. The applicant needs to submit a search request within 13 months from the date of the latest application. The search report will be issued by the EPO with a written opinion on patentability, but it is not binding. The patent application is completed within 18 months from the earliest priority date Authorization can be obtained after publication.
3 months
no
Reinstatement of priority on grounds of "due care" accepted.
The novelty grace period is 12 months before the filing date/priority date.
- Licensing Fee: None.
- Annuity: After the patent is granted, the annual fee shall be paid year by year from the third year of the application date, and the annual fee shall be paid before the last day of the month in which the application date is located. If the annual fee is overdue, it can be postponed and paid within 6 months after the due date at the latest, but additional penaltys are required. The penalty for the 3rd to 10th year is 85.00 euros, and the penalty for the 11th to 20th year is 230.00 euros.
The initial protection is 5 years, which can be renewed 4 times, each time for 5 years, and the maximum protection can be 25 years.