International Patent

The patent is a way of protecting new inventions.

The invention must be new, innovative and submitted to the competent authority. Inventions require specialized knowledge and skill of the creator. However, they can be easily and quickly copied or reproduced when they do not have legal protection resulting in the loss of legal beneficiaries.

A patent is a patent granted to the inventor or proprietor of an invention for novel inventions that involve inventive activity and are amenable to industrial application. These inventions can be either products or a method of product production or an industrial application.

The patent protects the inventor against third parties for possible copying, use and / or sale. The competent service in Greece for the filing of patents is the Industrial Property Organization (www.obi.gr). A patent is protected from the moment of its filing and is valid for 20 years, provided that the prescribed annual fees are paid from the third year of filing. The holder of a Patent has the exclusive right to use it. Patents can be granted nationally, as well as can be recognized internationally (World Intellectual Property Organization) and unquestionably at European level (European Patent Office).

Our team is at your disposal to provide you with specialized advice and to apply on your behalf for the registration of national, European and international patents.

NATIONAL PATENTS

The National Patent is issued upon request in a country and provides protection only in that country. Specifically in Greece the application is submitted to the Industrial Property Organization (www.obi.gr).

EUROPEAN PATENTS

The European Patent is issued upon application to the European Patent Office (www.epo.org) (Munich, The Hague and Berlin) and is valid in 44 countries at will. The declaration can also be made in Greece, at the Industrial Property Organization. Completing the patent process also requires the submission of a corresponding translation of the patent text in each selected country.

INTERNATIONAL PATENT APPLICATION

The filing of an International Application aims to award a number of “national” Patents under the International Patent Agreement (better known as the “Patent Treaty”). The advantage of filing an International Application is that a single application is enough to issue a Patent number, provided that the conditions for the award of the respective Patent in each country are met. These diplomas are valid from the date of the International Application in the countries chosen by the applicant and grant the same rights as those granted by the National Diplomas in the respective states. The duration of protection upon International Application is also the same. The depositor chooses between the states that have signed the Treaty. Greece is one of the contracting states. An International Application is submitted to the International Office in Geneva (www.wipo.int). The Greek Industrial Property Organization can operate as an office for receiving International Applications.