What is a patent?

A patent allows you to protect a new product or a new process against copying. Improvements to existing products and processes can also be protected. A patent enables you to prevent competitors from exploiting your invention, thus granting you a competitive advantage. A patent is valid for a maximum of 20 years from the moment of filing, with exceptions for pharmaceutical inventions, for which an additional term of protection of 5 years may apply. Some examples of patented products and processes are:

–          New product: a particularly large air valve for self-inflating products, such as an airbed.

–          New process: process for growing a crop in an air-conditioned environment.

–          Improvement of an existing product: coffee machine with an improved cartridge

Patents protect innovations in a wide range of sectors and industries. A lot of patenting takes place in the following industries: biotechnology, electronic goods, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering, chemicals. If you are in doubt as to whether your invention is patentable, we would be happy to discuss options with you in an introductory meeting.