Overseas Patent Applications
Priority Dates
Filing a UK patent application generates a priority date (the date of first filing a patent application for an invention).
Applications for overseas patent protection should be filed within 12 months of filing the first UK patent application. This allows a ‘priority claim’ to be made, which effectively backdates the foreign applications to the date of filing the UK application.
It is possible to file applications for overseas protection outside of the 12-month period, but any such application will not have the benefit of the priority date. This generally means that anything that has been publicly disclosed between the filing of the UK application and the overseas applications can be cited against the overseas applications (thereby preventing grant of a patent). The law surrounding this varies depending on countries and if you have any questions please contact us.
Overseas Patent Filing Options
Presuming that a UK patent application has been filed, there are three main routes to obtain foreign patent protection. Please visit the pages below to find out more:
International Patent Applications
Contact us for a free consultation or for more information on overseas patent applications.
