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Maintenance of a patent
A granted patent may be maintained for 20 years from the date on which the application was filed. The time of validity of patents concerning medicinal products and plant protection products can, under certain conditions, be prolonged by a maximum of five (5) years through a Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC).
Patent applications and patents are maintained by paying renewal fees (annual fees). You must pay the first renewal fee at the end of the second application year. A fee year shall be computed the first time from the day when the application was filed or is deemed to have been filed, and thereafter from the corresponding calendar day.
If the renewal fee is not paid on its due date, it can still be paid within the following six months with a 20 % raise.
If the renewal fees are not paid, the patent lapses, and the invention becomes available for others, provided that it does not enjoy other types of protection, such as a utility model, design right or copyright.