Who is the competent authority for patent applications for inventions in Luxembourg?

• via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
• via Nationalization of PCT : 20 months from the earliest priority date.

*Luxembourg is one of the only countries in the world that still retain Chapter I for 20 months to enter the national phase (the other is Tanzania). If it takes 30 months to enter the national phase, a request for international preliminary examination must be filed.

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

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

OPI conducts only formality examination of invention patent applications. The applicant needs to file a search request within 18 months from the filing date, or submit a search report issued by any official search agency within 18 months from the priority date, and the judgment of novelty in the search report does not affect the Luxembourg patent granted.

• Authorization Fee: None
• Annuity: pay year by year from the third year from the application date, and the payment deadline for the annual fee is the end of the month corresponding to the application date. If the annual fee is overdue, it can be paid within a grace period of 6 months, and a late fee of 20.00 Euros should be paid at the same time.

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

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.

Luxembourg Intellectual Property Office

English: Luxembourg Intellectual Property Office, Abbreviation: OPI

Website: Ministry of the Economy // The Luxembourg Government (gouvernement.lu)

Luxembourg Utility Model Patent Search: BPP eRegister (public.ws_lu)

OPI conducts only formality examination of design patent applications.

Luxembourg Intellectual Property Office

English: Luxembourg Intellectual Property Office, Abbreviation: OPI

Website: Ministry of the Economy // The Luxembourg Government (gouvernement.lu)

Luxembourg Invention Patent Search: BPP eRegister (public.ws_lu)