The term of protection of Dutch invention patents: 20 years from the date of application.
Duration of protection of Dutch designs: 5 years from the date of application, renewable for 4 times, renewable for 5 years and long-term protection for 25 years.
Invention patent: The application for invention patent can be authorized without substantive application. However, the applicant needs to make a novelty retrieval request within 13 months from the date of application.
Patent application process:
(1) Prepare application documents: application form and patent documents.
The application form can be downloaded from the website of the Patent Office and must be filled in Dutch.
Patent documents must describe the contents of the patent in Dutch or English. The description should use legal terms and be as accurate as possible, and the format should meet the relevant legal requirements.
(2) Submit the application documents and pay the patent application fee.
If there is incomplete information in the application documents, the Patent Office will give the applicant a list of supplementary information, which the applicant needs to complete within 3 months, otherwise the patent will be invalid.
(3) Apply to the Patent Office for novelty investigation within 13 months after filing a patent application.
The patent application form includes the novelty investigation application, or the investigation application can be submitted separately after the patent application is submitted.
Novelty investigation, you can choose Dutch investigation or international investigation, the former by the Dutch Patent Office, the latter by the European Patent Office.
(4) About 9 months after submitting the application for novelty investigation, the investigation report can be received.
The investigation report mainly includes two parts: one part is the document number of relevant patent documents and magazine articles, and the other part is the written opinion issued by the Patent Office, which is used to explain the influence of the previous part of documents on the novelty of patent application.
(5) Within 2 months after receiving the investigation report, the applicant needs to modify the wording of the patent document according to the investigation report.
(6) The patent is valid for 20 years. From the fourth year after the entry into force, the patent maintenance fee will be paid every year, and the fee will increase year by year.