CHINA> Regulations
Patent Law of the People's Republic of China
(expo2010.cn)
Updated: 2009-04-14 18:45

Article 30. [*6]

Any applicant who claims the right of priority shall make a written eclaration when the application is filed, and submit, within three months, a copy of the patent application document which was first filed;if the applicant fails to make the written declaration or to meet the time limit for submitting the patent application document, the claim to the right of priority shall be deemed not to have been made.

Article 31.

An application for a patent for invention or utility model shall be limited to one invention or utility model. Two or more inventions or utility models belonging to a single general inventive concept may be filed as one application. An application for a patent for design shall be limited to one design incorporated in one product. Two or more designs which are incorporated in products belonging to the same class and are sold or used in sets may be filed as one application.

Article 32.

An applicant may withdraw his or its application for a patent at any time before the patent right is granted.

Article 33. [*7]

An applicant may amend his or its application for a patent, but the amendment to the application for a patent for invention or utility model may not go beyond the scope of the disclosure contained in the initial escription and claims, and the amendment to the application for a patent for design may not go beyond the scope of the disclosure as shown in the initial drawings or photographs.

Chapter IV EXAMINATION AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATION FOR PATENT

Article 34. [*8]

Where, after receiving an application for a patent for invention, the Patent Office, upon preliminary examination, finds the application to be in conformity with the requirements of this Law, it shall publish the application promptly after the expiration of eighteen months from the date of filing. Upon the request of the applicant, the Patent Office publishes the application earlier.

Article 35.

Upon the request of the applicant for a patent for invention, made at any time within three years from the date of filing, the Patent Office will proceed to examine the application as to its substance. If, without any justified reason, the applicant fails to meet the time limit for requesting examination as to substance, the application shall be deemed to have been withdrawn.

The Patent Office may, on its own initiative, proceed to examine any application for a patent for invention as to its substance when it deems it necessary.

Article 36.

When the applicant for a patent for invention requests examination as to substance, he or it shall furnish pre-filing date reference materials concerning the invention. The applicant for a patent for invention who has filed in a foreign country an application for a patent for the same invention shall, at the time of requesting examination as to substance, furnish documents concerning any search made for the purpose of examining that application, or concerning the results of any examination made, in that country. If, without any justified reason, the said documents are not furnished, the application shall be deemed to have been withdrawn.

Article 37.

Where the Patent Office, after it has made the examination as to substance of the application for a patent for invention, finds that the application is not in conformity with the provisions of this Law, it shall notify the applicant and request him or it to submit, within a specified time limit, his or its observations or to amend the application. If, without any justified reason, the time limit for making response is not met, the application shall be deemed to have been withdrawn.

Article 38.

Where, after the applicant has made the observations or amendments, the Patent Office finds that the application for a patent for invention is still not in conformity with the provisions of this Law, the application hall be rejected.

Article 39. [*9]

Where it is found after examination as to substance that there is no cause for rejection of the application for a patent for invention, the Patent Office shall make a decision to grant the patent right for invention, issue the certificate of patent for invention, and register and announce it.

Article 40. [*10]

Where it is found after preliminary examination that there is no cause for rejection of the application for a patent for utility model or design, the Patent Office shall make a decision to grant the patent right for utility model or the patent right for design, issue the relevant patent certificate, and register and announce it.

Article 41. [*11]

Where, within six months from the date of the announcement of the grant of the patent right by the Patent Office, any entity or individual considers that the grant of the said patent right is not in conformity with the relevant provisions of this Law, it or he may request the Patent Office to revoke the patent right.

Article 42. [*12]

The Patent Office shall examine the request for revocation of the patent right, make a decision revoking or upholding the patent right, and notify the person who made the request and the patentee. The decision revoking the patent right shall be registered and announced by the Patent Office.

Article 43. [*13]

The Patent Office shall set up a Patent Reexamination Board. Where any party is not satisfied with the decision of the Patent Office rejecting the application, or the decision of the Patent Office revoking or upholding the patent right, such party may, within three months from the date of receipt of the notification, request the Patent Reexamination Board to make a reexamination. The Patent Reexamination Board shall, after reexamination, make a decision and notify the applicant, the patentee or the person who made the request for revocation of the patent right.

Where the applicant for a patent for invention, the patentee of an invention or the person who made the request for revocation of the patent right for invention is not satisfied with the decision of the Patent Reexamination Board, he or it may, within three months from the date of receipt of the notification, institute legal proceedings in the people's court.

The decision of the Patent Reexamination Board in respect of any request, made by the applicant, the patentee or the person who made the request for revocation of the patent right, for reexamination concerning a utility model or design is final.