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Patenting your invention

Patenting your invention

Does your invention qualify for a patent?
You have just devised a wonderful invention that you would like to protect. To obtain a patent, your invention needs to fulfil three criteria: novelty, inventiveness and industrial applicability.

1. Novelty

It is important that you safeguard the secrecy of your patent application. Your invention cannot be public knowledge, for instance because it has been described in a patent, on a website or in a newspaper article. It cannot have been demonstrated at a trade fair either.

2. Inventiveness

Your creation must be inventive. This means your invention cannot have been obvious to a skilled person in the field. In other words, your idea must be original.

3. Industrial applicability

Your invention must effectively function and be usable in a specific type of industry, for instance as a product in the production process. In other words, your invention must be able to operate on a technical level.

Certainty through patentability search

It can be tricky trying to decide whether your invention qualifies for a patent. If you are unsure what to do, you can opt for a patentability search. This ensures that within one to four weeks you have all the information you need to determine whether it is worth applying for a patent or not. This will help you avoid disappointment during the patent grant procedure should it transpire that your invention is not original enough.

Any questions?

NLO can help in everything patent-related. Our experts would be happy to answer any questions you may have.