yes. A maximum of 50 designs may be included under the same Locarno category.
no
- Licensing Fee: None.
- Annuity: After the patent is granted, the annual fee shall be paid year by year from the third year of the application date, and the annual fee shall be paid before the last day of the month in which the application date is located. If the annual fee is overdue, it can be postponed and paid within 6 months after the due date at the latest, but additional penaltys are required. The penalty for the 3rd to 10th year is 85.00 euros, and the penalty for the 11th to 20th year is 230.00 euros.
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.
The novelty grace period is 6 months before the filing date/priority date.
- via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.
- EU route: 6 months from earliest priority date.
- Hague Agreement route: 6 months from earliest priority date.
Belgian Federal Government Intellectual Property Office
English: The Belgian Intellectual Property Office, Abbreviation: IPObel
Website: Intellectual property | FPS Economy (fgov.be)
Belgian invention patent search: Search in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) | CBE Public Search (fgov.be)
no
BOIP only conducts a formality examination of the design application, including whether the design violates public order and good customs. Once the formality examination is completed, the patent application will be authorized and published.
The novelty grace period is 12 months before the filing date/priority date.
- via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
- Validation of European Patent in EPO member states: 3 months from the date of European patent grant.