There is a recent amendment to the Patents Act 1983 on the duration of a certificate for a utility innovation. The amendment which came into force on August 14, 2003, affects utility innovation applications filed before August 1, 2001 and pending on that date and utility innovations granted before August 1, 2001 and still in force on that date. The duration for such a certificate for a utility innovation will be:

• either 10 years from the filing date of the application and renewable for 2 consecutive terms of 5 years each
• or 5 years from the date of grant and renewable for 2 consecutive terms of 5 years each,

whichever term is longer.

15. Must a patent/utility innovation be registered?
A patent/utility innovation must be registered to acquire monopoly rights to exploit the invention.

16. What legislation governs patents/utility innovations?

• The Patents Act 1983
• The Patents Regulations 1986