Patent Application Encyclopedia

12-14 months

IPONZ conducts formal and substantive examinations of designs. IPONZ automatically starts the substantive examination within 15 days of receiving the design application, no need for the applicant to submit a specific request separately, the applicant has 12 months (can be extended up to 3 months) to overcome the defect to meet the grant conditions, IPONZ only examines Novelty of exterior design. Designs can only be transferred to others after they have been granted a patent.

INPI only conducts formality examination of utility model patent applications, and does not conduct search and substantive examination. However, in case of litigation, a search report needs to be submitted.

• Licensing Fee: None.
• Annuity: pay once every 5 years, and must be paid within 6 months before the due date of the application. If the annual fee is overdue, it can be paid within a grace period of 6 months, and a 50% penalty is required.

• Authorization Fee: There is no granted fee.
• Annuity: The applicant needs to renew twice in the 11th-15th year and the 16th-20th year by paying the renewal fee, and the payment node is the granted date of the year.

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

no

If the patent is disclosed due to the display at the exposition or unintentional disclosure, the novelty grace period can be enjoyed within 6 months before the filing date/priority date.

• via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
• via Nationalization of PCT : 30 months from the earliest priority date.

yes

3-5 years

Acceptance of restoration of priority on grounds of "due care" and "unintentional/due care"

no

The novelty grace period is 12 months before the filing date/priority date.

3 months

• via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
• via Nationalization of PCT : 31 months from earliest priority date.

20 years

IPOS only conducts formality examination of design patent applications, and the examination content includes: novelty statement, classification and article/non-physical product name, and whether the picture is suitable for reproduction.

Costa Rican Intellectual Property Registry

English: Registry of Intellectual Property, abbreviation: RIP

Website: www.rnpdigital.com