Fancy getting a patent in Iran?

The International Patent Community continues to expand with Iran becoming the PCT’s 148th member state. The majority of the world's countries are members of the PCT including practically all of the major industrialised countries (the most notable exceptions being Taiwan and Argentina). Any International patent applications filed on or after 4th October 2013 will automatically include a designation of Iran. As some readers may know, an International patent application is a single patent application that can be filed which facilitates the filing of patent applications in close to 150 countries. An International patent application does not, of itself, directly result in the grant of foreign patents. Instead national/regional patent applications, derived from the International patent application, must be filed and prosecuted before their respective national/regional patent offices. However, before the national/regional patent applications need to be filed, an International search report is issued which comes with an examiner’s provisional opinion of the application. The search report and opinion can provide a useful indication as to the chances of ultimately securing patent protection and can help the applicant make an informed decision concerning national/regional patent application filing strategies. An International patent application is also useful in delaying the costs of filing foreign patent applications in a large number of countries. Please contact Martin Terry at [email protected] or your usual patent contact at Swindell & Pearson should you have any comments or questions in relation to protection in Iran or International patent applications.

Swindell & Pearson has been helping businesses and individuals protect and defend their ideas, innovations and brands for over 130 years. With its head office in Derby, the firm also has offices in Stoke, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Sheffield and Burton. To find out how Swindell & Pearson can help you with any intellectual property requirements please get in touch via [email protected] or by telephone on 01332 367 051.