A novelty grace period of 6 months prior to the filing date/priority date may be granted if the invention is disclosed as a result of apparent misuse by the applicant or its former right holders, or if the invention is exhibited at an official or officially recognized exhibition.
11 months. If an expedited request is made, granted can be obtained in about 3-4 months.
- 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.
yes. Prior to patent grant/rejection, the patent type can be converted from utility model to invention at the request of the applicant. Can only be converted once.
Reinstatement of priority on grounds of "due care" and "unintentional/due care" accepted.
yes
yes
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.
ATPO conducts formality examination only for utility model patent applications. Although ATPO searches utility model patent applications, the search results do not affect the grant results. The applicant may amend the patent application after receiving the search report.
10 years
yes. If multiple designs have at least one of the same category, a maximum of 50 designs can be included in one design.