How Do I Go About Getting A Patent?

A patent is a legal right enabling the owner to stop someone else making use of an invention. As patents are territorial rights, a patent is required in each country of interest if protection is required in multiple countries. The patent process involves several stages – here's a typical filing strategy followed by timescales and how long the patent lasts once granted.

Typical Filing Strategy

An example of a typical filing strategy involves filing a national patent application initially (for example a UK patent application) and following up with an International application, otherwise known as a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application.

The UK patent application includes a description of the invention with reference to one or more drawings and a set of claims defining the scope of the invention. The application is usually filed with a search request. If you desire accelerated prosecution, the application can be filed with both a search request and an