MIKHAILYUK, SOROKOLAT & PARTNERS offers the full range of legal services related to patent registration in Moldova including patent search, patent translation, filing and further prosecution of of the Moldovan patent application, patent maintenance, preparing and recordal of assignment and license agreements as well as representing applicants before courts. We do our best to represent our clients' interests in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
The validity term of a Patent in Moldova is 20 years years from the filing date. For pharmaceutical patents and patents for agrochemicals it is possible to apply for extension of this term for additional 5 years. In case a patent is extended the Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) will be issued.
A 6-month novelty grace period term is applied only if a disclosure takes place at the international exhibition or by third parties in bad faith.
Overview of the patent registration procedure in Moldova:
After completion of filing procedure a Moldovan application undergoes a formal examination lasting 1 month. On condition that an applicant submits all required documents, the notification about positive result of a formal examination will be issued. A substantive examination should be requested and the corresponding official fee should be paid within 30 months from the filing date of a PCT application. A PCT application is published in the Official Bulletin within 6 month from entering the Moldovan national phase. A conventional application is published within 18 months from filing an application. If an invention meets the requirements of patentability the decision to grant a patent will be issued. After payment of the registration and publication fees a patent will be issued.
The procedure of the patent registration in Moldova takes from 2 to 4 years.
Foreign applicants must be represented before the Office by a registered Moldovan patent attorney.
What is required for filing a patent application in Moldova:
- filing instructions comprising applicant's and inventor's names, addresses and citizenships;
- a filing number and a date of a priority application or a PCT application;
- a specification with claims, abstract and drawings;
- a copy of the amendments, if any;
- a Power of Attorney simply signed and stamped by the applicant(s); legalization and notarization are not required unless it is signed by a proxy-holder. The executed PoA should be provided to the Moldovan Patent Office within 3 months from the application
For conventional applications it is necessary to provide a certified copy of a priority document if claimed. It may be provided to the Moldovan Patent Office within 16 months from the priority date
Terms
The term for entering Moldovan national phase of a PCT application is 31 months from the priority date. The term for filing a conventional patent application in Moldova is 12 months from the priority date.
If you need further information concerning patent registration in Moldova or quotation for filing and prosecuting of a Moldovan patent application please feel free to contact us.
