Novelty Grace Period for Korean Invention Patent Application

Submitted by 页之码 on

If the following situations occur 12 months before the patent application/priority date by the inventor, applicant or assignee:

  • By correspondence, or publicly at national or international exhibitions
  • Disclosure due to malicious disclosure by a third party

    The novelty grace period can be enjoyed, and the applicant needs to submit corresponding evidence support when submitting the application.

专利申请流程

  • no

  • KIPO conducts formality examination and substantive examination of invention patent applications. Only after the application documents meet the conditions of formality examination, KIPO will assign the patent to the application number. Publication is completed within 18 months from the filing date/priority date. The applicant/interested party shall submit a substantive examination request no later than 5 years from the filing date. Once an examination request is made, it cannot be withdrawn, and KIPO conducts examination in the order in which the examination requests are filed. Patent applications that meet the grant conditions will be granted.

  • For the design of partial substantive examination, multiple designs can be included in one design application, but the designs must belong to the same class in the international design classification.

  • KIPO adopts two examination systems, the Substantive Examination System (SES) and the Partial Substantive Examination System (NSES), for designs, and the applicant has no right to choose the examination route. The Partial Substantive Examination System (NSES) is for items that are popular, easy to imitate and have a short life cycle, such as food, clothing and men's clothing (category 2), travel goods (category 3), textiles, man-made and Natural panel materials (Class 5), packaging (Class 9), decorative articles (Class 11), stationery and office equipment, artists and teaching materials (Class 19). For some designs that have been substantiated, the applicant can obtain granted within 1-2 months from the date of submission of the application, and can enjoy new procedures such as combination design and post-granted opposition. The applicant can decide whether to disclose the design at the time of granted. After paying a certain confidentiality fee, the design can be requested not to be disclosed for 3 years. There are 32 levels in the Locarno classification system, but only 31 levels are used in Korea.

  • Filing Language: Korean

    via Paris Convention via Nationalization of PCT

    Necessary documents:

    1. Abstract
    2. Abstract Drawing
    3. Claim
    4. Specification
    5. Drawing

    Necessary documents:

    1. Abstract
    2. Abstract Drawing
    3. Claim
    4. Specification
    5. Drawing

    Attachments (if any)

    1. Sequence Listing (PDF format and TXT format)
    2. Microorganism preservation certificate and its Korean translation
    3. Microorganism survival certificate and its Korean translation
    4. Power of Attorney
    5. Priority certification document and its Korean translation
    6. Declaration of Ownership/Certification of Employment/Assignment of priority
    7. Assignment for Patent Right Transfer
    8. Notification issued by CNIPA notify the applicant the application has passed through the security review

    Attachments (if any)

    1. WIPO Publication
    2. ISR/IPRP
    3. Entering the Korean national phase 19/28/34/41 amended
    4. Sequence Listing (PDF format and TXT format)
    5. Microorganism preservation certificate and its Korean translation
    6. Microorganism survival certificate and its Korean translation
    7. Power of Attorney
    8. Declaration of Ownership/Certification of Employment/Assignment of priority
    9. Assignment for Patent Right Transfer
  • no

  • If the following situations occur 12 months before the patent application/priority date by the inventor, applicant or assignee:

    • By correspondence, or publicly at national or international exhibitions
    • Disclosure due to malicious disclosure by a third party

      The novelty grace period can be enjoyed, and the applicant needs to submit corresponding evidence support when submitting the application.

    • Grant fee: The applicant needs to pay the granted fee within 3 months after receiving the notification of the granted decision, and pay the annual fee for the first to third years at the same time.
    • Annuity: The annual fee is paid year by year starting from the fourth year from the filing date, and the amount of the annual fee depends on the number of Claim. Annuitys can also be paid. If the annual fee is overdue, it can be paid within the 6-month grace period after the due date, but an 18% penalty must be paid at the same time.
  • 20 years, and the protection can be extended to 25 years for pesticides or medicines.

  • no