Reinstatement of priority on grounds of "due care" and "unintentional/due care" accepted.
- 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.
2 years
ATPO only conducts formality examination of design patent applications.
The initial protection is 5 years, which can be renewed 4 times for a maximum protection of 25 years.
1 month
- 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.
ATPO conducts formality examination and substantive examination of invention patents. The search report will be published together with the patent application within 18 months from the filing date, and the substantive examination will start automatically, and the applicant does not need to file a separate request for substantive examination. It can be authorized if the granted conditions are met.
- Authorization Fee: None
- Annuity: The annual fee is paid every 5 years. The overdue annual fee can be paid within a grace period of up to six months after the due date, and a 20% late fee will be paid at the same time. Pay within the first 3 months of the grace period with no late fees.
Filing Language: German Necessary documents:
- Exterior Design Picture (Six Views)
- A Brief Description
Attachments (if any):
- Power of Attorney
- Certified Priority Document
- Declaration of Ownership/Certification of Employment/Assignment of priority
- Assignment for Patent Right Transfer
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.