What should I pay attention to when applying for a patent for an invention or utility model completed in China?
Paragraph 1 of Article 20 of the Patent Law stipulates that any unit or individual who applies to a foreign country for a patent for invention or utility model completed in China shall first file a confidentiality review with the Patent Office. Paragraph 4 of Article 20 of the Patent Law stipulates that an invention or utility model that has been patented in a foreign country in violation of paragraph 1 of this article shall not be granted a patent in China. According to Article 8 of the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Patent Law, if any unit or individual applies for a patent for invention or utility model completed in China from a foreign country, it shall apply to the Patent Office for confidentiality review in one of the following ways: 1) If it directly applies for a patent from a foreign country or submits an international patent application to a foreign institution, it shall submit a request to the Patent Office in advance, explaining its technical scheme in detail; 2) Anyone who intends to apply for a patent in a foreign country or submit an international patent application to a relevant foreign institution after applying for a patent in the Patent Office shall make a request to the Patent Office before applying for a patent in a foreign country or submitting an international patent application to a relevant foreign institution. Where an international application for a patent is submitted to the Patent Office, it shall be deemed that a request for confidentiality review has been made at the same time.