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What is a provisional patent application?
A provisional patent application, or PPA, is a preliminary patent application that can be filed without any formal claims.
The description of innovation in a provisional patent application, however, should always be as complete as in a non-provisional patent application, to warrant full IP protection. Innovators are given a 12-month grace period to furnish any formal claims once there is a good potential of the product being commercial viable.
Advantages of a provisional patent include :
- It is a low-cost initial IP protection, which gives innovators time to test market their invention before investing in the cost of a regular patent.
- It provides the means to establish an early effective filing date in a non-provisional patent application without reducing the 20 year term of the utility patent. It also allows the term "Patent Pending" to be applied.
At ODMsg, we can guide clients on drafting their PPA themselves. While the tendency is to file a priority claim for a PCT (International Patent), we strongly advise innovators to file a patent in China as it is the most competitive country in manufacturing.
With the initial IP protection in place, ODMsg is happy to help clients to Test Market their invention before investing in the cost of a regular patent.
For information in Intellectual Property : Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)
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