Patents grace periods

Patents help businesses protect their R&D investments by giving them the right, for a limited time, to stop others from using their technology without permission. Because patents are such powerful legal tools, the criteria for granting them are very strict. One key criterion is that an invention be 'novel' - not known anywhere in world - when the patent application is filed. People sometimes bar their inventions from patent protection by disclosing them too soon. This consultation asks whether a 'grace period' would help.

The consultation is directed at all users, and potential users, of the patents system.