Which is the competent authority for utility model patent applications in Japan?

• Grant fee: The applicant should pay the granted fee and the annual fee for the first year within 30 days after receiving the granted notice.
• Annuity: The annual fee shall be paid year by year from the second year from the date of granted, and the payment of the annual fee may be postponed within 6 months if the annual fee is overdue, but a 200% penalty shall be paid at the same time.

• via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.
• Hague Agreement route: 6 months from earliest priority date.

Japan Patent Office

English: Japan Patent Office, abbreviation: JPO

Website: Japan Patent Office (jpo.go.jp)

Japanese Invention Patent Search: Japan Platform for Patent Information｜J-PlatPat [JPP] (inpit.go.jp)

25 years

20 years, and the validity period of patents for pharmaceutical inventions and pesticide inventions can be extended to 25 years upon application.

The JPO conducts formality examination and substantive examination of the design patent application, and the substantive examination starts automatically, and the applicant does not need to submit a separate substantive examination request. JPO mainly examines the novelty and inventiveness of designs.

• (*Secret design: applicants can request that their design remain secret for 3 years from the filing date).

5-7 months

yes

1-2 years