6-8 months
IMPI conducts formal and substantive examinations of invention patent applications. The substantive examination starts automatically, and there is no need for the applicant to submit a separate request for substantive examination. No special requirements or fees. Expedited examination can be requested through the Patent Prosecution Highway. The time limit for responding to the Office Action Notice is 2 months from the date of issue, which can be extended once (2 months).
yes
20 years
yes
- via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
- via Nationalization of PCT : 30 months from the earliest priority date.
6-8 months
yes
25 years
- via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.
- Hague Agreement route: 6 months from earliest priority date.
A 12-month novelty grace period applies if the inventor or his successor has communicated in any form, put the design into practice or made it public at national and international exhibitions.