UTILITY MODELS

DEFINITION:

Any patent application may be transformed into a utility model application within 90 days as of the filing date, by the applicant’s decision or by the Patents Office requirement.

NOVELTY:

It is sufficient that they are not known in the country.

ANNUITIES:

To keep the model in force, an annual fee should be paid, the first of which will be paid after the granting.

With a recharge of 30%, they could be paid within 180 running days following the expiration each year. If this last term expires and the payment is not made, the model expiration will occur.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

Any Utility Model application might be transformed into a patent application within 90 days as of the filing dated, by the applicant’s decision or by the Patents Office requirement.

EFFECTIVENESS:

Their term is for 10 years counted as of the application filing date.

LEGISLATION:

Law 24.481 dated May 23, 1995.

Law 24.572 dated September 28, 1995, implemented on October 18, 1995. This law replaces certain sub-sections of Law 24.481 and leaves without effect Law 111 dated October 11, 1884.

Law 24.603 dated December 7, 1995, implemented on January 3, 1996, which ratifies Laws 24.481 and 24.572.

Decree 260 dated March 20, 1996, which contains the text of laws 24.481 and 24.572, modified, and implements the rules for the three previous laws.

Foregoing laws became in force on March 27, 1996.

CONVENTIONS:

Montevideo Convention of the year 1889.

Paris Convention (Lisboa Rev., sect. 1-12 and Stockholm, sect. 13-30).

La Haya Convention of the year 1961, which leaves without effect the consular authorization of documents coming from abroad.

GATT TRIPS of obligatory application in Argentina pursuant to Law N° 24.425.