1. Invention patent: The protection period is 20 years.
2. Utility model: the protection period is 10 years.
3. Design: Automatic protection for 5 years from the date of application, and can be renewed 4 times for 5 years each time, that is, the maximum protection period is 25 years.
The Polish Patent Office conducts substantive examination of invention patents and utility models, and formal examination of design patents.
Polish Patent Law defines design as: “A new and original design based on the lines, patterns, shape position or three-dimensional shape and color of the product appearance and their combination.”
Polish design patent applications are similar to those in my country and do not undergo substantive examination. Three to four months from the date of acceptance of the application, the application will be formally reviewed. The Office will not automatically conduct a search. However, when the Office believes that there are substantive reasons for rejecting the application, it may also reject the application based on the substantive reasons.