- The Utility Model protects inventions of less inventive nature that those protected by Patents. They may be, for example, giving an object a set-up or structure from which some use or practical advantage can be obtained.
- The device, instrument or tool protected by a Utility Model is characterised by its "utility" and "practicality" and not for its "aesthetics", as happens in industrial design.
- The scope of protection of a Utility Model is similar to that conferred by a Patent.
- A Utility Model protects for a period of ten years from the presentation of the application. An annual fee must be paid in order to maintain the right.
- It is advisable to perform a preliminary search to determine the State of the Art in the technical field of the invention, since you may find documentation that, without your knowing it, affects the patentability of your invention. This search can be performed for free using the inventions databases in Spanish and inventions in other languages. In the "Search for yourself" section on the website, you will find detailed information on how to perform these searches step-by-step. You can also have SPTO technicians conduct a preliminary study on the patentability of your invention by requesting, for a fee, a Patent Technological Report. For more information on this option, consult “The SPTO searches for you”.
- Remember that the invention is patentable when it is novel, involves an inventive step and has industrial applicability.
- Check that your invention is not excluded from protection as a utility model according to current legislation (art. 4, 5 and 143 of the Law 11/1986: the Patents Act) (e.g. software, plant varieties...).
- Cuando la incorporación del código en el objeto suponga una mera yuxtaposición de ambos elementos, no se considerará susceptible de protección como modelo de utilidad, dado que no se está dotando al objeto de una configuración, estructura o constitución particular para incorporar dicho código de la que se derive una ventaja técnica asociada. En este caso la ventaja radica en la información proporcionada por el código, lo que se considera como una forma de presentar información que no es susceptible de protección mediante modelo de utilidad.
Cuando para la incorporación del código en el objeto sea necesario adaptar la configuración de éste para alojarlo, o bien se añadan estructuras adicionales, por ejemplo, una lámina de protección del código, sí se considerará que la invención dota a un objeto de una configuración, estructura o constitución de la que se derivan ventajas, por lo que el objeto será susceptible de protección como modelo de utilidad.
- If you have any doubts regarding the appropriate category of protection for your invention, you can consult the section “All about Utility Models”.
- Determine the market in which you would like to exploit your invention exclusively, deciding on the type of protection that would be most appropriate in each case based on the extension of that market (Domestic Patent&Utility Model, European Patent, International Patent (PCT). Remember that after processing and granting national patents, the SPTO is authorised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation to carry out the international processing phase in Spanish according to the PCT system.
- When you submit a domestic application, you obtain the world priority right for 1 year. During this time, you may submit an international PCT application, which enables you to delay, up to 30 months, the decision on entering the domestic phase in any of the PCT members that you wish (136 as of 1 January 2007), a European patent or a domestic patent in another country. As a result, if you choose the PCT system, with the initial investment required for a PCT patent application, you will have two and a half years to assess the possibilities for success of the invention.
- Avoid prior disclosure of the invention or any publication describing it, since it could affect the novelty of the Utility Model you may apply for.
- If you wish, there is a list of Industrial Property Agents available to you.
