A novelty grace period of 6 months prior to the filing date/priority date may be granted if the invention is disclosed as a result of apparent misuse by the applicant or its former right holders, or if the invention is exhibited at an official or officially recognized exhibition.
The initial protection is 5 years, which can be renewed 4 times for a maximum protection of 25 years.
11 months. If an expedited request is made, granted can be obtained in about 3-4 months.
Filing Language: German Necessary documents:
- Exterior Design Picture (Six Views)
- A Brief Description
Attachments (if any):
- Power of Attorney
- Certified Priority Document
- Declaration of Ownership/Certification of Employment/Assignment of priority
- Assignment for Patent Right Transfer
ATPO only conducts formality examination of design patent applications.
A novelty grace period of 6 months prior to the filing date/priority date may be granted if the invention is disclosed as a result of apparent misuse by the applicant or its former right holders, or if the invention is exhibited at an official or officially recognized exhibition.
1 month
10 years
no
ATPO conducts formality examination and substantive examination of invention patents. The search report will be published together with the patent application within 18 months from the filing date, and the substantive examination will start automatically, and the applicant does not need to file a separate request for substantive examination. It can be authorized if the granted conditions are met.
20 years. Patented medicines and plant protection new varieties can obtain an additional 5-year renewal period, and children's medicines can obtain an additional half-year patent protection period.