10-12 months
The UKIPO conducts formal and substantive examinations of patent applications for inventions. The applicant should submit an official search request and pay the corresponding fees at the same time as filing the application, or within 12 months from the priority date, and submit a substantive examination request within 6 months after the patent is published.
Reinstatement of priority is accepted on the grounds of "Unintentional".
If the British patent application is disclosed in an officially recognized international exhibition 6 months before the application, or is disclosed maliciously by a third party, the novelty grace period will be enjoyed. Evidence of exhibits at the exhibition must be submitted with the application.
UKPTO
English: Intellectual Property Office, abbreviation: UKIPO
Website: Intellectual Property Office - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
UK invention patent search: Intellectual Property Office - Patent document and information service (Ipsum) (ipo.gov.uk)
2-3 years
no
- via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
- via Nationalization of PCT : 31 months from earliest priority date.
yes
yes
20 years. Pharmaceutical invention patents have supplementary protection certificates (Supplementary protection certificates, SPC), which can extend the protection period for 5 years.