Patent Application Encyclopedia

10 years

• Grant fee: The applicant needs to pay the granted fee within 2 months from the date of issuance of the granted notice. If it is overdue, it can resume after paying the recovery fee within a grace period of 4 months.
• annual fee:
  • via Paris Convention : the annual fee shall be paid year by year from the third year from the filing date, and the applicant shall pay all the annual fees calculated from the third year from the filing date after granted, and shall pay on the last day of the month in which the filing date is located.
  • PCT entry into the Swedish national phase: payable annually from the international filing date. The due date of the annual fee for the first three years is the last day of the month of the second anniversary of the international filing date, and it shall be paid at the same time when entering the national phase; if the time of entering the national phase is before the above deadline, it shall be paid within 2 months after entering the national phase pay. Subsequent annual fees shall be paid by the last day of the month in which the international filing date falls each year. The annual fee can be paid within a grace period of 6 months after the due date at the latest, subject to an additional 20% late fee.

no

Bulgarian Patent Office

English: Bulgarian Patent Office, abbreviation: BPO

Website: Патентното ведомство на Република България (bpo.bg)

Bulgarian invention patent search: BPO Online - portal.bpo.bg

no

1-2 years

The USPTO conducts formality examination and substantive examination of the design application, and the substantive examination starts automatically. The applicant does not need to submit a separate request for substantive examination, and can only submit one claim. The applicant is obliged to disclose through the Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) details of information that has an impact on the patentability of the design, including but not limited to prior art, publications, sales records, etc. This obligation extends to the announcement of the grant of the patent or the withdrawal of the patent application. Failure to disclose significant prior art may result in the patentee being unable to enforce the underlying patent.

• No official fee is required if the IDS is filed within three months from the filing date or before the first office action is issued.
• Additional official fees are payable if the information cited in the IDS appeared in a foreign patent application three months before the filing of the IDS, or if the applicant or the applicant's representative completed the invention three months ago.

no

8 months

• Grant fee: The applicant shall pay the annual fee of the granted year at the same time after receiving the granted notice.
• Annuity: payable year by year from the first year onwards from the application date.

25 years

no

OPI does not conduct substantive examination for utility models (short-term patents). If no search is carried out or search reports from other countries are provided, it will only be protected as a short-term patent.

• Authorization Fee: None
• Annuity: After granted, it will be paid year by year from the 4th year from the date of application, and should be paid within 3 months before the date of application each year. If the annual fee is overdue, the payment can be postponed within a grace period of 6 months, but a surcharge of 20% is required. The first annual fee (i.e. the 4th year) can be paid within 6 months of the late payment period without paying the penalty. It can also be paid every three years in the 4th to 6th year, and in the 7th to 10th year.

Reinstatement of priority is accepted on grounds of "due care."