How many years does a patent expire?

How many years does the exterior patent expire?

Appearance design patent refers to the protection of the appearance features of a product, which usually involves the design and styling of the appearance of the product. The expiration time of a design patent varies from region to region. Generally speaking, the term of protection of a design patent in most countries or regions ranges from 15 to 25 years.

In the U.S., the term of protection for an appearance patent is 15 years from the date of patent grant. If the applicant meets the corresponding requirements, the protection period can be extended for another 5 years.

In Europe, the protection period of appearance patents is 25 years, which is also counted from the date of patent authorization.

As for the Asian region, the duration of patent protection for appearance is 10 years in China and 20 years in Japan.

In addition, the term of protection of a design patent is also affected by the provisions of the patent law and the corresponding renewal requirements. Upon expiration of the term of protection, the design will be in the public domain and may be freely used by anyone without fear of infringement of the patent.

However, the expiration of a design patent does not mean that the designer or enterprise loses its protection. Designers can protect their design achievements in other ways, such as brand registration, trademark protection, etc., so as to continue to maintain the competitive advantage of their products.

All in all, the duration of protection of appearance patents varies from region to region and from law to law, but they all provide designers with a certain period of protection during which they can enjoy exclusive rights over the results of their designs, thereby encouraging innovation and the sustainable development of designs.