If within 12 months before the filing of the design patent application, due to the disclosure of the designer or its former right holder, the novelty grace period can be enjoyed.
Reinstatement of priority on grounds of "due care" and "unintentional/due care" accepted.
yes. If multiple designs have at least one of the same category, a maximum of 50 designs can be included in one design.
11 months. If an expedited request is made, granted can be obtained in about 3-4 months.
yes. Before the patent is granted/rejected, the patent type can be changed from invention to utility model at the request of the applicant. Can only be converted once.
- Authorization Fee: None
- Annuity: After granted, it will be paid year by year from the 4th year from the date of application, and should be paid within 3 months before the date of application each year. If the annual fee is overdue, the payment can be postponed within a grace period of 6 months, but a surcharge of 20% is required. The first annual fee (i.e. the 4th year) can be paid within 6 months of the late payment period without paying the penalty. It can also be paid every three years in the 4th to 6th year, and in the 7th to 10th year.
1 month
- via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
- via Nationalization of PCT : 30 months from the earliest priority date.
- Validation of European Patent in EPO member states: within 3 months from the date of grant of the European patent.
yes
2 years
ATPO only conducts formality examination of design patent applications.