Patent Application Encyclopedia

• Grant fee: The applicant needs to pay the granted fee within 60 days after the granted notice, and the granted fee includes the maintenance fee for the first five-year validity period
• Annuity: The annual fee for the subsequent second five-year validity period can be paid at the same time as the first annual fee, or it can be paid within the first five-year validity period. If the annual fee is overdue, it can be paid within a six-month grace period, and Pay late fees at the same time.

yes. An invention patent application may submit a conversion request within 6 months from the date of issuance of the examination report and pay the corresponding fee. The converted application has the same filing date as the original application.

no

• 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.

no

yes. The applicant may request to change the patent type from invention to utility model before the invention patent application is granted.

Belgian Federal Government Intellectual Property Office

English: The Belgian Intellectual Property Office, Abbreviation: IPObel

Website: Intellectual property | FPS Economy (fgov.be)

Belgian invention patent search: Search in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) | CBE Public Search (fgov.be)

The JPO conducts formality examination only for utility model patent applications.

Japan Patent Office

English: Japan Patent Office, abbreviation: JPO

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

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

If the design is disclosed by the designer or his representative within 12 months before the filing date, the design will not lose its novelty.

yes. After the applicant pays the corresponding fee, he can apply to change the patent type from invention to utility model.

• Grant fee: Pay the granted fee within 60 days after granted.
• Annuity: The starting date of the annual fee is the granted date, and the first annual fee is the annual fee for the first to fifth years.

Intellectual Property Office of the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand

English: Department of Intellectual Property, abbreviation: DIP

Website: Home (ipthailand.go.th)

Thailand Invention Patent Search: DIP (ipthailand.go.th)

IMPI conducts formal and substantive examinations of utility model patent applications. There are three ways to submit an application to INPI: online application, mailing and submitting a written application to INPI in person. No matter which way the application is filed, the application date of the patent is the time when the patent applicant sends the complete patent application text to INPI. IMPI accepts only one independent claim in a utility model application. Applicants are required to pay the substantive examination fee within 3 months from the date of application. The time limit for responding to the Office Action Notice is 3 months from the date of issue, and can be extended 3 times (one month each time). The requirements for utility models are relatively loose, and they need to be novel and practical, but not inventive.

If the invention is disclosed by a third party maliciously, or by the behavior of the applicant or its original right holder, and by the application for a UK patent, the novelty grace period can be enjoyed 12 months before the filing date/priority date

DPDT only conducts formality examination of design patent applications, not substantive examination.

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