no
2-2.5 years
- Grant fee: The applicant shall pay the granted announcement fee within 2 months after receiving the official notification.
- Annuity: The annual fee can be paid once every 5 years, and the annual fee can be paid within a grace period of 6 months if the annual fee is overdue, and a 20% penalty should be paid at the same time.
yes
20 years
- via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
- via Nationalization of PCT : 31 months from earliest priority date.
- Validation of European Patent in EPO member states: 3 months from the date of European patent grant
Formal examination and substantive examination are required. Substantive examination begins automatically, without the need to submit a specific request.
The initial protection period is 4 years from the filing date, and can be renewed twice, 4 years and 2 years respectively, up to 10 years.
The novelty grace period is 12 months before the filing date/priority date.
5 months
yes