Novelty of the invention shall not be lost if the inventor, or a third party who directly or indirectly obtains relevant information from the inventor, discloses the invention information within 12 months before the filing date/priority date.
12-18 months
- via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.
- Hague Agreement route: 6 months from earliest priority date.
yes. The applicant may request to change the patent type from invention to utility model before the invention patent application is granted.
12-14 months
3-5 years
UKRPATENT only conducts formality examination of utility model patent applications.
20 years
- yes. The same category may include multiple designs in one design.
yes. The applicant may request to change the patent type from utility model to invention before the utility model patent application is granted.
The invention does not lose its novelty if the inventor, or a third party who directly or indirectly obtains relevant information from the inventor, discloses the invention information within 12 months before the filing date/priority date.