Answers about Local Patents

January 19, 2009
Intellectual Property News and Interesting Facts

One of the questions that applicant inventors often ask is that of the meaning of public disclosure regarding local patents. Applicants of local patents often misunderstand the term and in so doing disclose information about their inventions, just to find out that they now can no longer file rights for local patents.

The public disclosure means that you cannot distribute information about the invention through any form of media such as journals, articles and reports etc. that will allow a person to duplicate or put the invention to use prior to the initial application filing date.

This part is mostly understood, but you should also guard against discussions of your invention with friends or any parties not directly involved with the invention. Don’t make any web posts, talk about the invention at meetings, advertise it on posters or use unprotected email to communicate with someone working on the invention.

The safest route is not to disclose any information about your inventions before filing an initial application for rights to local patents.