The process of a patent application

What is the process of a typical normal patent application?

A clock starts upon submission of the first patent application. A typical patent application process can be described as follows:

  • The first patent application is submitted to the authorities

    The clock for the patent application starts

  • 12 months after submission of the first application

    The applicant has 12 months after the first submission to file an updated application on the invention e.g. an international patent application

  • 18 months after submission of the first application

    The patent application is published 18 months after the first submission unless the applicant withdraws it

  • 30 months after submission of the first application

    Finally, there is a period of 30 months from the initial filing to enter the countries in which a patent is to be pursued the biggest expenses for the patent application usually occurs after this period has expired

How long does it take:

The processing time from submission to grant of a European patent is about 5 years. There are several possibilities to accelerate the procedure throughout this time, and in several countries patent protection can be obtained within a smaller time frame such as 1-2 years from submission.

What are the costs?

The prices for patenting vary greatly depending on the scope of the patent i.e. how many countries are designated for protection. It also depends on how much work is done yourself versus outsourcing the task to patent attorneys. If there is a need for a patent agent to write the application the prices usually run around DKK 25,000 – 150,000 depending on the complexity of the application. In addition, there are official fees associated with submitting and maintaining the application.

In some cases, it is possible to get financial support and funding for patent applications.

Do it yourself

It is possible for the inventor to write and submit a patent application himself without any assistance. The applicant still has to comply with several requirements for the patent application and submission process.

 In this section, VALUA describes aspects that the inventor must consider in connection with “Do it yourself” patenting.

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Quick and Dirty

In some cases, there may be customers who demand a quick and cheap patent application in order to secure protection for their invention.

These “Quick and Dirty” patent applications can easily be generated. In this section, VALUA describes more about such situations.

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