Patent Application Encyclopedia

• via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.
• Hague Agreement route: 6 months from earliest priority date.
• EU appearance route: 6 months from the earliest priority date.

Formal examination and substantive examination are required.

10 years

via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.

2 years

IGE/IPI conducts formal and substantive examinations of invention patent applications. The applicant does not need to file a separate request for substantive examination. Before commencing the substantive examination, IGE/IPI will send an examination bill, which will indicate the deadline for payment of the prescribed fees. Patents granted in Switzerland are automatically protected in Liechtenstein.

The novelty grace period is 12 months before the filing date/priority date.

PRV only conducts formality examination on design patents. After the design is officially submitted to the PRV, no modification or addition of other designs is allowed. An applicant may request a deferment of publication for up to 6 months from the filing date/priority date, and this request must be made at the same time as the new application is filed.

• via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.
• Hague Agreement route: 6 months from earliest priority date.

• Grant fee: The applicant should pay the granted fee within 6 months after receiving the patent granted decision, and pay the annual fee for the first to third years in one lump sum.
• Annuity: The annual fee after granted should be paid within 6 months before the start of the next valid period. Overdue payment can be made within a grace period of 6 months, but a 100% penalty must be paid at the same time.

The USPTO conducts formal and substantive examinations of patent applications. The substantive examination starts automatically, and the applicant does not need to submit a separate substantive examination request. The applicant is obliged to disclose through the Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) details of information that has an impact on the patentability of the invention, including but not limited to prior art, publications, sales records, etc. This obligation extends to the announcement of the grant of the patent or the withdrawal of the patent application. Failure to disclose significant prior art may result in the patentee being unable to enforce the underlying patent.

• No official fee is required if the IDS is filed within three months from the filing date or before the first office action is issued.
• An additional official fee is payable if the information cited in the IDS appeared in a foreign patent application three months before the filing of the IDS, or if the applicant or the applicant's representative completed the invention three months ago

yes. After the applicant pays the corresponding fee, he can apply to change the patent type from invention to utility model.

• via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
• via Nationalization of PCT : 31 months from earliest priority date.

no

3-4 years

DIP only conducts formality examination for utility models, and the documents can be authorized if they meet the formality examination standards. If litigation or evaluation of the stability of utility model Claim is required, the applicant may submit a request for substantive examination within one year after the granted announcement.

• Grant fee: There is no annual granted fee for a design patent application in Singapore.
• Annuity: Pay the annual fee renewal fee every 5 years, overdue payment can be made within a grace period of 6 months, and a penalty of SGD 50.00 should be paid at the same time.

10 years

• Grant fee: The granted fee should be paid within 60 days of the issuance of the granted notice.
• Annuity: The annual fee is paid in two installments. The annual fee for the first ten-year period must be paid when the application is accepted, and the annual fee for the second ten-year period must be paid before the expiration of the first ten-year period. If the annual fee is overdue, it can be paid within a grace period of 6 months, and a 20% late fee will be charged at the same time .