You wouldn’t want someone else to take credit or make a living off your good idea, would you? Therefore it is important to patent your invention. A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention for the protection of the owner. This gives them the right to exclude others from making, using, exercising, disposing of the invention, offering to dispose of, or importing the invention. The protection is granted for a limited period of 20 years.Patents are territorial – to secure patent protection in a country, you must file a patent in that country. 

In South Africa, the process for obtaining patent protection generally comprises the steps of conducting a novelty search, filing a provisional patent application and, 12 months later, filing a complete patent application. If the inventor wishes to file patents in more than three other countries, a PCT (international) application should be filed.

If a provisional patent application is filed, the strength and scope of protection obtained will depend on the wording and content of the description of the invention. UP is with you every step of the way and will provide guidance and support for inventors looking to patent their novel innovations.