The novelty grace period is 12 months before the filing date/priority date.
Filing Language: Dutch/French/German Necessary documents:
- Exterior Design Picture (Six Views)
- A Brief Description
Attachments (if any):
- Certified Priority Document
- Declaration of Ownership/Certification of Employment/Assignment of priority
- Assignment for Patent Right Transfer
3 months
yes
no
yes. A maximum of 50 designs may be included under the same Locarno category.
BOIP only conducts a formality examination of the design application, including whether the design violates public order and good customs. Once the formality examination is completed, the patent application will be authorized and published.
no
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.
- 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.
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)