Intellectual Property
Section 1
To obtain patent protection for your invention you will need a patent
specification to be written. This should ideally be done by a qualified Patent
Agent to make sure good patent protection is obtained. The specification
will describe the invention and define the desired monopoly (in the form of
claims). It will usually be initially filed at the UK Intellectual Property Office.
Although the UK patent filing is free of charge the Patent Agent's time and
effort in drafting the patent specification and formulating the claims has to
be paid for. This can typically cost anything from around about £1500 to
£6000 + depending on the complexity of the technology, the length of the
patent specification and the number of claims filed.
This initial patent filing will only provide protection in the UK. To obtain
patent protection abroad you will need to file corresponding patent
applications to cover all countries that are of commercial importance
to you.
Foreign patent protection normally needs to be done within a year of
filing the initial UK patent application and can typically cost £30-50,000 –
(sometimes more) but the costs are staggered over the life of the patent
(up to 20 years).
Figure 2
30
UK – PCT, US, EP, JP, AU, CA
Costs (£000's)
25
UK & US & EP
20
UK – PCT, US, EP
15
UK & US Only
10
UK Only
5
0
0
6
12
18
24
Months
Used with the kind permission of Marks & Clerk.
7
30
36
42
48
