Other IP rights · Patents
Protect an invention in Romania and across Europe
A patent gives you the exclusive right to exploit a new technical solution for up to 20 years in the territory where it was granted. In Romania you file with OSIM; for several European countries there is the European patent granted by the European Patent Office (EPO), and for wider coverage the international PCT route. Brand New IP coordinates the file and, where needed, works with patent attorneys who draft the claims.
We help you find out whether your invention is patentable and coordinate the filing at OSIM, the European Patent Office or via PCT, with patent specialists.
Your first consultation is free.
Who it’s for
This is for you if…
- Inventors and companies that have developed a new product or technical process
- Start-ups talking to investors who need a patent application on file
- Manufacturers who want to know whether a new product infringes someone else's patents
- Universities and research centres with results that have industrial uses
What’s included
What we do for you
- A first, confidential conversation about the invention
- A prior-art search in patent databases to gauge novelty
- Choosing the route: OSIM, European patent, PCT or utility model
- Coordinating the description and claims with a patent attorney
- Filing the application and following the examination
- Tracking annual maintenance fees and deadlines
How it works
The steps, one by one
Step 1: Confidential discussion
You describe the invention. Until it's filed, don't show it publicly or pitch it to investors without a confidentiality agreement.
Step 2: Prior-art search
We search earlier patents and publications to see whether the invention is new and involves an inventive step.
Step 3: Drafting the application
The description, claims and drawings are drafted together with a patent specialist. The claims define exactly what you protect.
Step 4: Filing and examination
We file the application and respond to the examiner's objections.
Typical time: Roughly several years until grant
Step 5: Extending abroad
Within 12 months of the first filing you can extend protection to other countries and keep the priority date.
Patents
How we work on patents
For trademarks, Brand New IP works with its own team. For patents, drafting the claims takes technical training in the invention's field, so we work with patent attorneys and with correspondents abroad. We stay your point of contact and coordinate deadlines, communication with the offices and costs.
If an invention looks hard to patent, we'll tell you at the start, before you pay for an application to be drafted.
Documents
What we need from you
- A technical description of the invention, with drawings or diagrams
- What problem it solves and how it differs from existing solutions
- The inventors' details and, if relevant, contracts transferring the rights to the company
- Any earlier publication or presentation of the invention
Frequently asked questions
Questions about patents
What makes an invention patentable?
The invention must be new, meaning it hasn't been made public anywhere before filing; it must involve an inventive step, meaning it isn't obvious to a specialist in the field; and it must be capable of industrial application. Abstract ideas, business methods and computer programs as such can't be patented, though some computer-implemented solutions can if they have a technical effect.
How long does patent protection last?
A patent lasts at most 20 years from the filing date, provided you pay the annual maintenance fees. If you miss a renewal fee, the patent lapses. The utility model, a simpler and faster option available at OSIM, lasts for a shorter period, up to 10 years.
What's the difference between an OSIM patent, a European patent and PCT?
An OSIM patent protects you in Romania only. A European patent is obtained through one procedure at the European Patent Office and then validated in the countries you choose; in participating states it can have unitary effect. A PCT application filed through WIPO doesn't give you an international patent. It keeps open your right to enter national or regional procedures in more than 150 countries later.
Can I talk about my invention before filing a patent application?
Better not. Any public presentation before filing, at a trade fair, in an article or in a pitch without a confidentiality agreement, can destroy novelty. Unlike designs, patents generally get no grace period. File first, then present the invention. Until then, work under signed confidentiality agreements.
How much does a patent cost?
The cost depends on how complex the invention is, how many countries you want and how long examination takes. It includes drafting by a patent specialist, official filing, examination and maintenance fees and, for other countries, translations and correspondents' fees. We give you an estimate per stage after the first conversation, which is free.
Related services
- DesignsWe register designs at OSIM, EU designs at EUIPO and international designs through the Hague System, for products, packaging and interfaces.
- IP contractsWe draft and review licences, assignments, coexistence agreements and copyright transfers, then record them with OSIM or EUIPO when needed.
- IP auditWe inventory your trademarks, designs, domains and contracts, find the gaps in protection and give you a renewal calendar and a list of priorities.
Let’s talk about your trademark.
The first consultation is free. We’ll tell you honestly what can be protected, how and what it costs, before you pay anything.