Newsletter
AMENDED TIME PERIODS FOR PROCESSING PATENT-RELATED APPLICATIONS
On 10 January 2008, the Intellectual Property Office announced changes to the time periods for processing various types of patent-related applications, which took effect on date of announcement. The amended time periods are as follows:
| No. | Category of Cases | Average time period for first notification | Processing time | |
1 | First examination of invention patent applications | |
| |
| 1-1 | Nuclear engineering | 15 months | 18 months | |
| 1-2 | Daily-used commodity; construction | 18 months | 24 months | |
| 1-3 | General mechanical engineering, transportation and shaping | 21 months | 24 months | |
| 1-4 | Telecommunication | 21 months | 24 months | |
| 1-5 | Measurement, optical and storage device | 18 months | 27 months | |
| 1-6 | Organic and inorganic chemistry, metallurgy, metal surface treatment and electroplating | 21 months | 27 months | |
| 1-7 | Textiles and flexible materials, papermaking, and paper articles | 21 months | 27 months | |
| 1-8 | Data processing | 21 months | 27 months | |
| 1-9 | Semiconductors | 21 months | 27 months | |
| 1-10 | Electric power, basic electrical and electromechanical components | 21 months | 27 months | |
| 1-11 | Electronic commerce | 21 months | 21 months | |
| 1-12 | Optoelectronic liquid crystal | 21 months | 30 months | |
| 1-13 | Biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and food products | 28 months | 36 months | |
| 2 | Expedited examination of invention patent applications | | 10 months | |
| 3 | Re-examination of electro- mechanical and chemical engineering cases | 32 months | 36 months | |
| 4 | Re-examination of mechanical engineering and daily-used commodity cases | 8 months | 12 months | |
| 5 | Compulsory licensing of invention patents | 24 months | ||
| 6 | Cancellation of compulsory licenses | 18 months | ||
| 7 | Determining compensations for compulsory licenses | 6 months | ||
| 8 | Applications for patent term extension | 12 months | ||
| 9 | New utility model patent applications | 4 months | 6 months | |
| 10 | New utility model technical reports | 12 months | ||
| 11 | New utility model technical reports (when patented subject matters are being practiced commercially by a party other than the patentee) | 6 months | ||
| 12 | First examination of new design patent applications (including associated new design applications) | 10 months | 12 months | |
13 | Re-examination of new design patent applications (including associated new design applications) | 6 months | 10 months | |
| 14 | Cancellation actions | 15 months | ||
| 15 | Expedited examination of cancellation actions | 6 months | ||
| 16 | Amendments and corrections to patent specification, claims, or drawings of granted patents | 6 months | ||
| 17 | Recordation of changes of granted patents (assignment, licensing, pledge creation, trust creation, etc.) | 20 days | ||
| 18 | Recordation of all kinds of changes after grant of patent | 20 days | ||
| 19 | Issuance of English-version of patent certificates | 20 days | ||
| 20 | Issuance of patent agent certificates (expedited service) | 1 days | ||
| 21 | Issuance of patent agent certificates (ordinary service) | 20 days | ||
| 22 | Issuance of priority documents (expedited service) | 1 days | ||
| 23 | Issuance of priority documents (ordinary services) | 20 days | ||
The above time periods run from the date on which the relevant application documents are received, but do not include the time periods allowed after an applicant is instructed to propose amendments, to respond to an examination opinion, or to put forward a defense, or allowed for delays arising for other legitimate reasons.