What is International Patent Protection and How Do I Apply?
Design patents can be a really good tool to protect your invention and your designs.
In 2015, the United States became part of The Hague Agreement, making it more simple and cheaper for US applicants and inventors to protect their designs in other countries and in one streamlined application.
Once you are ready to take your design to another country you can use our international design patent worksheet (International Design Patent Worksheet ). Something like PCT for utility application or The Madrid Protocol for trademarks (Video: Difference Between Design and Utility Patent ). Basically, it’s now cheaper and faster to register your international design patents in other countries.
Let’s clarify some things.
There is still NO such thing as “one international design patent” that covers your design everywhere in the world. You still must make sure that the country is a part of the Hague Agreement. If this is not the case, you must find a patent agent in that specific country in order to protect your design.
Another thing to note is that design patents have a six-month deadline to file in other countries from the time it has been filed in the US. As an inventor you have six months to claim priority to your US design patents.
If you receive an office action or rejection from another country, you will need to hire a patent attorney in that region. This will enable you to solve the patent rejection as quickly as possible. Hiring a US patent attorney will work too.
Interested in learning more about how to secure your intellectual property?
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Innovent Law helps innovators protect, maintain and defend patent, trademark, copyright, and other intellectual property rights in the United States and around the world.