Patent Application Encyclopedia

6 months before the filing date/priority date.

Bulgarian Patent and Trademark Office

English: Bulgarian Patent Office, abbreviation: BPO

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

Bulgarian Utility Model Patent Search: BPO Online - portal.bpo.bg

• Authorization Fee: None
• Annuity: The renewal fee is paid every 5 years and must be submitted within 6 months before the due date of the annual fee. The deadline is the last day of the month in which the application date is located. Overdue payment can be made within the 6-month late payment period. Except that no penalty will be charged for the first month, a penalty of GBP 24.00 per month will be charged for the remaining months.

1 month

Formal examination: IPOS will conduct formality examination first after receiving the patent application and the application fee of S$170 . After passing the preliminary examination, the application date will be determined. Those who do not meet the formality examination need to overcome the defects within 2 months after receiving the correction notice from IPOS. Formal examination includes examination of whether there are any missing priority information, description and drawings of the description, etc.

Publication: A patent application is published 18 months from the filing date/priority date, and the applicant may request early publication.

Search and substantive examination: The applicant can choose three ways to submit a search request and substantive examination, and submit a substantive examination request within 36 months from the filing date at the latest, and pay the corresponding fee. IPOS will examine patent applications for novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability. Applicants with search results from other countries can take advantage of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) and ASEAN Patent Examination Cooperation (ASPEC) procedures to obtain patent rights in Singapore more quickly and efficiently. If there are no deficiencies to overcome, the patent application will be granted. If the applicant cannot resolve the issue within 18 months from the date of the first written opinion, the patent application will be rejected.

4-5 months

no

20 years

no

4 months

The novelty grace period can be enjoyed within 12 months from the filing date/priority date in the following cases:

• Disclosures made by, or with the permission of, the applicant

• If the disclosure occurs in an officially held or recognized international exhibition

  Applicants should submit disclosure details when filing a patent application with MOIC.

2-3 years

no

The UKIPO conducts formal and substantive examinations of patent applications for inventions. The applicant should submit an official search request and pay the corresponding fees at the same time as filing the application, or within 12 months from the priority date, and submit a substantive examination request within 6 months after the patent is published.

via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.

A novelty grace period of 6 months is available if:

• The applicant or the original right holder obviously abused the
• Exhibited by the applicant or the original right holder at an official or officially recognized exhibition

20 years

Austrian Patent Office

English: Austrian Patent Office, abbreviation: ATPO

Website: Home | Das Österreichische Patentamt

Austrian patent search for inventions: National Patents Search (patentamt.at)