Registration Of Granted UK Or EP(UK) Patents In Various Jurisdictions Worldwide

It is possible to obtain patent protection in various jurisdictions worldwide by “reregistering” a granted United Kingdom (UK) patent or European patent (EP(UK)) which has been validated in the UK. Sometimes the local patent is called a confirmation patent or a patent of importation. The procedure provides Applicants with simple and cost-effective protection for their patent rights in jurisdictions which they might not otherwise necessarily consider including in their patent portfolios.

In general, a registration of UK national patent worldwide has to be applied for within 3 years from the date of grant of the UK patent, but there are some exceptions and we urge you to enquire with us if this may be important to you.

[As an alternative to registration of a foreign patent, some countries have independent patent systems with a mere “local novelty” requirement for patentability, although these are becoming less and less important as the information revolution conveys knowledge around the world. In such countries a local national patent application may be available if the invention still has local novelty. If this is of interest, it is important to act quickly - without waiting for the UK patent to proceed to grant - or local novelty may be destroyed by others out of your control.]