About Patents

Granting and enforcing patents are governed by national laws, and also by international treaties, where those contracts are used in national legislation. Therefore, patents are territorial in nature.

On the national/domestic level of the country founds the Patent Offices, which are responsible for the operation of the national patent system under the patent law. In general, Patent Office is responsible for granting patents, infringement is the responsibility of the national/domestic courts.

There is a trend towards global harmonization of patent law, while the largest activator is the World Trade Organization (WTO). Key international convention relating to patents is the Paris Convention for the Protection of Intellectual Property, first signed in 1883. The Paris Convention sets out the scope of the basic rules relating to patents, and although the Convention has no direct legal effect in all national/ domestic jurisdictions, the Convention principles are enshrined in all relevant existing patent systems. In addition, there are international treaty procedures, such as the European Patent Convention (EPC) procedures, managed by the European Patent Organisation (EPO), and the Patent Convention Treaty (PCT), administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).