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Patents
Pursuant to Act No. 435/2001 Coll., on patents, supplementary protection certificates and on amendment and supplementation of certain acts, as amended (the Patent Act), patents are granted for inventions that are new, involve inventive activity and are industrially exploitable, after a formal-legal and substantive examination has been carried out. A so-called deferred examination is applied, with publication of applications after eighteen months from the priority date. A full examination is carried out on the basis of a request which must be filed no later than 36 months after the filing of the patent application. Chemically produced substances and pharmaceuticals may also be patented.
The term of validity of a patent is 20 years from the filing of the patent application. Payment of maintenance fees is a prerequisite for the duration of the patent.
Four reasons why to protect intellectual property - Patents
- a monopoly on the commercial exploitation of the invention
- protecting the investment made in research
- protection against unauthorised use of the invention
- the strategic capital of the company