Mexico Introduces Provisional Patent Applications.

The amendments to the Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property (FLPIP), published today, introduce a new filing mechanism allowing applicants to submit provisional patent applications in Mexico.

This new route enables applicants to secure an early filing date with reduced formal requirements, requiring only the identification of the applicant and a description sufficient to identify the invention.

Under the amended law, applicants may file a provisional patent application in Mexico in order to obtain a recognized filing date based on the date and time of submission.

To benefit from this mechanism, the applicant must file a complete patent application within a non-extendable 12-month period from the filing date of the provisional application. Failure to do so will result in the provisional application being deemed abandoned, without the need for a formal declaration by the Patent Office.