A Synopsis of the Paris Convention Patent Applications

The Paris Convention is one of the first international intellectual property treaty formed between numerous countries. The Paris Convention was signed in the year 1883 in Paris, France by eleven countries. Presently, the Paris Convention has 177 countries as contracting parties. The Paris Convention applies to all intellectual property rights such as patents, trademark, copyright, industrial design, Geographical Indication among others. This article, however, discusses only the conventional patent applications.

As to the principle rules of the Paris Convention, the three main provisions are the right of priority, national treatment, and common rules. The right of priority means that the applicant may apply for protection in any of the Contracting countries based on the first application filed in one of the Contracting countries within 12 months from the date of filing of the first application. 

Source: Global Patent Filing