- African
South Africa, in our impression, seems so familiar and yet so unfamiliar Familiar, because it is one of the beautiful business cards on the African continent; Stranger, when we mention the people, events, customs, and systems of South Africa, we find that we know nothing about them.
Have you ever been full of longing for South Africa? Do you want to truly understand South Africa? Do you have any plans to develop your industrial layout in South Africa? Do you have any knowledge about the patent system in South Africa?
Today, we bring you the "South African Patent System" to unveil the mysterious veil of South Africa.
-
Application Institution
The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) is a national agency established on May 1, 2011, in accordance with relevant South African laws. It is under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and is responsible for registering, registering, and maintaining patents, designs, trademarks, and copyrights.
-
Application channels
1. Submit to the South African Intellectual Property Office;
2. If a patent application is submitted in China, it must be submitted within 12 months from the application date in accordance with the Paris Convention; 3. Submit a PCT international patent and file it within 31 months from the filing date (priority date if applicable). -
Protection type
The types of patent protection in South Africa include invention patents and design patents, but there are no utility model patents.
-
Duration
The protection period for invention patents in South Africa is 20 years from the date of application, while the protection period for design patents is 10 years for functional designs or 15 years for aesthetic designs.
-
censorship
In terms of examination, South Africa adopts a first to file system for invention patents, and CIPC only conducts formal examination of patents without substantive examination (during the validity period of South African patents, CIPC will not initiate substantive examination of South African patents unless a third party requests revocation in accordance with the relevant provisions of the South African Patent Act). The examiner does not determine the novelty or creativity of the patent application, nor does he limit the scope of protection of patent applications that are too broad.
-
Materials to be submitted
1. The English translation of patent documents (if necessary, the translated text can also be submitted within 6 months from the application date and cannot be extended)
2. Inventor and Applicant Information
3. Power of Attorney
4. Priority copy (if any)
An application receipt will be issued within 1-3 working days after application. If authorized according to relevant policies, it will take about 11 months. But after accelerated application, authorization takes about 3 months, and paper certificates are issued around 8-10 weeks after authorization, with a protection period of up to 20 years.
