Patent

:This article relates to the intellectual property right. A land grant is also called a patent.

Term of patent

As TRIPS agreement declares, the maximum term of an issued patent is 20 years from earliest claimed filing date. In the United States, for applications filed after to June 8, 1995, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest claimed filing date (see also: Term of patent in the United States).

Related Topics:
TRIPS agreement - June 8 - 1995 - Term of patent in the United States

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Also, in several countries there are multiple types of patents, and the 20 year term frequently only applies to utility patents and not design, petit, or other kinds of less heavily examined patents. For example, the term of a U.S. design patent, which protects the ornamental shape of objects, lasts 14 years from its issue date.

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Example

If the better mousetrap patent is filed on January 1, 1996 and is issued or granted on January 1, 2000, it will lapse twenty years from filing: January 1, 2016. However, if the inventor comes up with a second improvement and claims priority to her first patent when filing the second patent on January 1, 1998, that second patent, after grant, would lapse 20 years from the earliest claimed priority: January 1, 2016.

Related Topics:
1996 - 2000 - 2016 - 1998

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