Protecting Priority Rights to an Invention by Filing an Informal Patent Application





PROTECTINGPRIORITYRIGHTSTOANINVENTIONBYFILINGANINFORMAL
PATENTAPPLICATION

IsabelleGirard*
LEGERROBICRICHARD
,L.L.P.
Lawyers,PatentandTrademarkAgents
CentreCDPCapital
1001Square-Victoria–BlocE–8thFloor
Montreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7
Tel.(514)9876242–Fax(514)8457874
www.robic.ca–info@robic.com

Withtherapidprogressionofstateofthearttechnologyandthefierce
competitionthatcompaniesdevelopingsuchtechnologiesaresubjectto,
especiallyinhi-techfieldssuchastelecommunications,computerscience
andbiotechnology,itbecomesincreasinglyimportantforaninnovative
companytoprotectitsrightstoallinventionsasquicklyandeffectivelyas
possible,oftenasearlyastheconceptionoftheinventionitself.Thishasteto
protecttheinventionisnothowevernecessarilycompatiblewiththetime
frameandtheinvestmentrequiredinthepreparationandthefilingofa
patentapplicationwhichmayensureareliableprotectionofthecompleted
invention.
Aninterestingcompromisecanbetoproceedwiththerapidfilingofan
“informal”applicationwhichallowstheestablishmentofpriorityrightsonthe
subjectmatterdescribedintheapplicationwhilstgainingatwelve(12)
monthdelayforthepreparationofacompletepatentapplicationthat
includesclaimsofappropriatescope,aswellaselaboratingafilingstrategy
adaptedtotheapplicant’sneeds.Acertaincautionmusthoweverbe
exercisedinthepreparationofaninformalapplicationinordertoreapallits
benefitswithoutriskingthelossoftherightstotheinvention.

InformalPatentApplications
WiththechangestotheCanadianPatentActimplementedOctober1
st,
1996,theconditionstobefulfilledinordertobegrantedafilingdatefora
patentapplicationinCanadahavebecomelessrestrictive.Thesubmissionof
adescriptionwhich,atfirstglance,appearstodescribeaninventionis
enoughforthisdescriptiontobereceivedasconstitutingapatent

©CIPS,2002.
*OfLEGERROBICRICHARD,L.L.P.,amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentand
trademarkagents.PublishedintheSummer2002issue(Vol.6,No.3)issueofourNewsletter.
Publication068.047E.




applicationinCanada,andtobeattributedafilingnumber.Itistherefore
possiblethroughsuchafilingtoexpressanintentionofprotectingtherightsto
anysubjectmatterdescribedintheinformalpatentapplicationasfiled.In
applyingthisstrategy,theinformalapplicationisnothoweverdestinedto
becomeapatentinandofitself;itsimplyconstitutesapriorityapplicationon
whicharebasedpriorityrightsclaimedatthetimeofthesubsequentfilingof
apatentapplicationinproperanddueform.Thelattermustbefiledwithina
yearofthefilingofthepriorityapplication,andthis,inallthecountrieswhere
apatentfortheinventioninquestionisdesired.

IntheUnitedStates,therealsoexistsatypeofpatentapplication,calleda
“provisional”patentapplication,essentiallyofferingthesameadvantagesas
aninformalapplicationinCanada.Itmustbenotedthatregardlessofthe
countrywherethepriorityapplicationisfiled,thepriorityrightsthatare
obtainedareinternational,i.e.validforallthecountriesthataremembersof
theParisConventionwherearegularpatentapplicationwillsubsequentlybe
submittedclaimingpriorityfromtheinitialapplication.
InternationalPriorityRights
PriorityrightswithregardtopatentsarederivedfromtheParisConventionfor
theProtectionofIndustrialPropertydatedMarch20
th,1883whichthevast
majorityofindustrializedcountriesworldwidehavesigned.Thisconvention
establishesthatanypersonhavingregularlyfiledapatentapplicationinone
ofthecountriesthatispartoftheUnionwillbenefit,inordertocarryoutthe
filingintheothercountries,fromapriorityrightextendingoveraperiodof
twelve(12)monthsfollowingthedateoftheinitialfiling.Thepriorityrightwill
bevalidregardlessoftheeventualoutcomeofthepriorityapplication;
therefore,whetherornotthepatentissuesorisabandonedisimmaterial.
Eventhoughthepriorityapplicationandthesubsequentapplicationsmust
generallydescribethe“sameinvention”,itisnotnecessarythatthetwo
descriptionshaveexactlythesamecontentinordertobegrantedpriority
rights.Infact,thescopeoftheclaims,oreventhepresenceofclaimsinthe
priorityapplicationhavelittleimportance.Priorityrightsarebasedona
comparisonbetweentheclaimedelementsinthesubsequentapplications
andthecontentoftheentirepriorityapplication.Inaddition,intheUnited
States,theexpression“forthesameinvention”isgenerallyinterpretedas
meaningthatthepriorityapplicationmustanswertheadequatedisclosure
criteriaofaninventionandofitspreferredmodeofembodimentas
applicabletoallthepatentapplicationsintheUnitedStates.Assuch,forthe
UnitedStates,itisimportanttodescribeinthepriorityapplicationnotonlyall
theelementsthatwillsubsequentlybeclaimed,butalsotodescribethe




subjectmatteroftheinventioninordertoallowitsrealizationbyaperson
skilledintheart.
ThepriorityrightsconferredbytheParisConventionessentiallyallowforany
application,filedinaConventioncountryatthelatestoneyearafterthefiling
ofapriorityapplication,tohavethesameeffectasifithadbeenfiledonthe
prioritydate.Therefore,anydocumentofpriorartrenderedpublicafterthe
filingofthepriorityapplicationwillnotbeopposabletothepatentabilityof
theinvention,evenifthispublicationoccurspriortothefilingofthe
subsequentapplication.Thisallowstheapplicanttopubliclydisclosethe
informationcontainedinthepriorityapplicationwithoutexposinghim/herself
toalossofrights.However,itisimportantnottodiscloseinformationthatis
notexplicitlyorimplicitlyincludedinthepriorityapplication,sincethis
informationdoesnotbenefitfromtheprotectionconcededinthispriority
application.
Moreover,incountrieswherepatentrightsarebasedona“firstfiling”system
(inforceinmostofthecountriesaroundtheworldincludingCanada),inthe
eventofaconflictbetweentwopendingpatentapplications,thefirstperson
tofileanapplicationforagiveninventionisthepersonwhowillbegranted
thepatentforthisinvention.Theprioritydatemaythusbecomecrucialtothe
protectionoftheinvention.AsfortheUnitedStates,theyfollowa“first
inventor”system,i.e.incaseofaconflictbetweentwopendingpatent
applicationsclaimingthesameobject,theapplicantwhocanprovethe
earliestdateofinventionwillbegrantedapatentfortheinvention.The
prioritydateisthereforenotasdeterminingasina“firstfiling”system,butmay
nonethelessservetoeffectivelyprovetheearliestdateofinvention.
Inconclusion,itappearsthataninformaldescriptionoftheinventionwhich
constitutestheobjectofeitherinformalorprovisionalapplications,inorderto
begrantedaprioritydate,isaneffectivewaytoreservetherightstothe
invention.However,itispreferabletogiveasmuchinformationaspossiblein
thepriorityapplicationinsuchawayastodescribeallaspectsofthe
inventionthatmayeventuallybeincludedintheclaims.Also,particularlyin
thecasewhereanAmericanpatentiseventuallydesired,itispreferableto
includeinthepriorityapplicationenoughdetailsontheuseoftheinvention
toallowitsrealizationbyapersonskilledintheart,uponreadingthetextof
thepriorityapplication.




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