Principle of patent priority

Legal analysis: patent priority refers to the patent applicant who filed a patent application for his invention and creation in a country for the first time, and then filed a patent application for the same theme for his invention and creation within the statutory time limit. According to the relevant laws and regulations, the date of the first patent application is the filing date of his later application, and this right enjoyed by the patent applicant according to law is the priority. The purpose of patent priority is to exclude the possibility that anyone who plagiarizes this patent in other countries may first apply and get registered.

Legal basis: People's Republic of China (PRC) Patent Law.

Article 2 Inventions and creations mentioned in this Law refer to inventions, utility models and designs. Invention refers to a new technical scheme proposed for a product, method or its improvement. Utility model refers to a new practical technical scheme for the shape, structure or combination of products. Appearance design refers to a new design that is aesthetically pleasing and suitable for industrial application, which is made on the shape, pattern or their combination of products and all or part of the combination of colors, shapes and patterns.

Article 29 Where an applicant applies for a patent for invention or utility model for the first time in a foreign country within twelve months, or applies for a patent for design for the first time in a foreign country within six months, and applies for a patent on the same subject in China, he may enjoy the priority in accordance with the agreement signed between that country and China or the international treaties to which both countries are parties, or in accordance with the principle of mutual recognition of priority. Applicants who file a patent application for invention or utility model for the first time in China within 12 months, or apply for a patent for design for the first time in China within 6 months may enjoy priority.