Novelty grace period applies if the invention is disclosed to the public within six months of the filing date or priority date.
no
20 years
no
1 year
- 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.
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.
no
yes. It is allowed to include multiple designs in one design application.
The initial protection is 5 years, which can be renewed 4 times, each time for 5 years, and the maximum protection can be 25 years.
3-5 years