Nadya Reingand, Washington DC, USA From Science to Business Copyright. All rights reserved. Content Current status: facts and speculations Intellectual Property territory: why Russian/US patent is not valid in the other country? Major differences and commons in law Easy way to US market for Russian business Legally using US patents for your benefit Number of US patents granted to Russians Number of USPTO patents granted to Japan, Germany, France and UK Is there something to worry about? Russian Patent Office data: Granted patents per year Total To Russians And how is it back in Russia? U.S., Russian Patent Offices Strike Fast-Track Deal a one-year pilot program on Sept. 1, 2010 to fast-track each other's approved patent applications. Such "Patent Prosecution Highway Programs" allow patent offices to use each other's work to help process applications more quickly. Russian legislation How one can obtain Russian patent? via application in Russian Patent office (Rospatent) in Eurasian Patent Office In Russian Receiving Office of the European Patent Office (Patent Cooperation Treaty PCT application) How one can obtain foreign patent? Via application: in national Patent office Patent Cooperation Treaty PCT application Patent filing: First in Russia, then in the foreign country Russian patent Territory: Russian Federation Eurasian patent Territory -9 countries: Turkmenistan, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Tajikistan, Russia, Azerbaijan Republic, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Moldova. Filed through PCT Filed directlyFiled through PO of contracting states Number of patents filed Rospatent Eurasian Patent Office Advantages of Eurasian patent filing: Faster prosecution The granted patent is valid in all 9 countries Patent Cooperation Treaty PCT countries Non-PCT countries Share of countries in patents filed under PCT procedure 2004 FROM: OECD patent statistics manual By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Cost analysis (USD) USARussiaEurasiaPCT Filing fee Examination for the first claim for the next up to Issue fee publication fee National stage fees, Total: ~200,000 for 6 countries Maintenance fees 3 rd year th year th year 2055 Total: ~4,000 for 20 years protection Annual fee, 80 up to 800, Total ~8,000 for 25 years protection Annual fees 1000 up to 6600 Total: ~62,000 for 20 years for 9 countries Annual fees 400 up to 1400 Total: ~20,000 for 20 years Patent protection is territorial If you file patent application in USA, it is NOT protected in other countries It is easy to learn about your invention since it is published Nobody in other country can get a patent for the invention which copies your patented in USA invention BUT Anyone can produce and sell your invention in other country, for example, produce in China, sell in Germany For example, it is legal to learn about certain technology (nanomaterials or medical treatment or whatever) from US patent and implement it in Russia if nobody patented it in Russia Legal issues US inventor: First to invent EU and the rest of the world: First to file the patent application publication Provisional Application filing Nonprovisional Application filing 12 months ~ 3 years Patent issued Time Accelerated Examination patent issued US patent timeline EU patent story starts here 12 months Once again about timing and sequences Generally: Sometimes: Almost never National patent filing PCT patent filing National patent filing Other country patent filing PCT patent filing National patent filing Other country patent filing National patent filing Importance of US market Number of US patents: - US origin - Foreign origin Natural conclusion Due to Importance of US market Relatively low cost of filing applications in US Fast track program between our office Fast prosecution compared to PCT We should see much more direct filing of Russian inventions in US Patent Office Why it does not happen and what can be done to improve this? Russian laws harmonization with the world community legislation: understanding importance of IP Direct filing to US Patent office as a rule Russians learn about US patents and LEGALLY use them, if nobody patented it in Russia Integration in the world economy: US market saturation with Russian products IP education at the university for future scientists and engineers Easy-to-use Russian patent office web site Transition to e-submission for Russian patents Further improvement in language education Wishes for the future