Types of Patents and IP Rights: Patents

A patent protects your invention with respect to a technical product or process. Whoever owns a patent can prohibit someone else from copying, selling or importing that invention. Even when that other person has come up with the invention himself completely independently. Each patent is valid in one or more countries and for a limited period of time. After a patent has expired, the technique is available for use by everyone.

Conditions

In order to be eligible for a patent in the Netherlands, you must have devised a technical invention that complies with 3 material conditions. In order to maintain a patent in the Netherlands, an annual fee must be paid to Netherlands Patent Office, a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. The first payment is due at the start of the 4th year after the application has been filed.

For an estimate of the costs involved in protecting your invention in one or more countries. you can use the Cost Calculator for Protection of Intellectual Property.

This calculator will allow you to calculate the costs of a patent, trademark or design quickly and easily. These categories are the best-known intellectual property (IP) rights.

Please note that the calculated costs are only an indication. Some costs have not been included.