Mirghasem Jafarzadeh; Ali Seyedin
Abstract
Disclosure grace period” is a length of time in which the applicant can file patent or industrial design application after public disclosure of the subject-matter and without impairing the novelty requirement. To provide “grace period” in patent law, the legislature should consider ...
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Disclosure grace period” is a length of time in which the applicant can file patent or industrial design application after public disclosure of the subject-matter and without impairing the novelty requirement. To provide “grace period” in patent law, the legislature should consider four elements: duration of grace, type of disclosure, absolute or relative immunity of investor’s disclosure against third parties’ publications and priority right. This article discusses the mentioned elements and also pros and cons of grace period by analyzing Iranian law and through comparative studies. It is concluded that grace period is like a double-edged sword which means, on the one hand, that providing broad grace period along with strong shielding for inventor’s disclosure can promote academic inventors and SMEs, but on the other hand, this approach can be misused by strategic delay or disclosure. Additionally, interaction of priority right with grace period can be a barrier for technology transfer and attracting investors. Considering the status of Iran as a developing country, it is suggested that Iranian Legislature should increase grace period to 12 months, accept absolute immunity regarding patents and relative shield for designs and use the date of priority for the calculation of grace period in relevant cases.
