Characteristics of the Australian invention patent application process

IP Australia conducts formal and substantive examinations of patent applications for inventions. Patent applicants are required to submit a substantive examination request within 5 years from the filing date, or within 2 months after the official notification of submitting a request for examination (whichever expires earlier). If there are any problems in the examination, the patent applicant has 12 months to solve them. If the defects cannot be overcome, the patent application will be invalid. If no opposition occurs within the 3-month opposition period, the patent application will be granted.