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Questionnaire on Exceptions and Limitations to Patent Rights

Table and links to the replies received from member states and regional offices to the SCP.

  • Questionnaire DOC, questionnaire PDF, questionnaire
Country/Region Section 1: General Section 2: Private and/or non-commercial use Section 3: Experimental use and/or scientific research Section 4: Preparation of medicines Section 5: Prior use Section 6: Use of articles on foreign vessels, aircraft and land vehicles Section 7: Acts for obtaining regulatory approval from authorities Section 8: Exhaustion of patent rights Section 9: Compulsory licensing and/or government use Section 10: Exceptions and limitations related to farmers' and/or breeders' use of patented inventions Section 11: Other exceptions and limitations

Albania
PDF

x x x x x x x 25
x x x

Algeria
PDF
2 update:
PDFEN PDFFR

x x x x x x x
Argentina
PDF
x x x x x x x x x * 33 x
Armenia
PDF
x x x x x x x x 1

Australia
PDF1
PDF2 update

x

x 2

 x 31

x x

x 31 

x x
Austria
PDF
x x x x x x x x x
Azerbaijan
PDF
x x x x x x x x
Bangladesh
PDF
 x  – * 34  x  – x1  –

Belarus
PDF1
2 update:
PDFEN PDFRU

 x  x  x  x  x  x  x x1  – x
Bhutan
PDF
x x x x x x  
Bosnia and Herzegovina
PDF
x x x x  x x x  x x  x
Brazil
PDF
x x x x x x x x x  3 x

Bulgaria
PDF

x x x x x x x x x x
Burkina Faso
PDF
x x  x  x x x x
Canada
PDF
x x x x x x x x 20
Chile
PDF
x 4 x x x 1  x

China
PDFCN PDFEN

 

Hong Kong China 
PDF1
PDF2 update

x x x x x x x x
x x x x x  x x x
Congo
PDF
x x x
Costa  Rica
PDF
x x x x x5 x x x
Croatia
PDF
PDF2 update
x x x x x x x x x x
Cyprus
PDF
x x x x x x
Czech Republic
PDF
x x x x x x x x x 1 x
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
PDF
x *6
x x6 x7
x x1

 

Denmark
PDF
x x x x x x x x x 1 x
Djibouti
PDF
x x 1 * 23
Dominican Republic
PDF
x x x x x x x 
El Salvador
PDF
[Note EN ES]
x x x x x x x x 1
Finland
PDF
x x x x x x x  x  x x
France
PDF
x x x x x x x x x x
Gambia
PDF
x x x x

Georgia
PDF1
PDF2 update

x x x x x x 35 36
Germany
PDF
x x x x x x x x x x x
Greece
PDF
x x x x x x x x x x
Honduras
PDF
x x x x x
Hungary
PDF
x x x x x x x x x 1

India
PDF

x x x x x x x x *37 x
Indonesia
PDF
x x 9 x x
Israel
PDF
x x x x x x x 14 x *16 x
Italy
PDF
x x x x x x x x 10
Jamaica
PDF
x  
Japan
PDF1
PDF2 update
x x x x x x x x 1  –  –

Jordan
PDF

x x x  – x x x  –

Kenya
PDF

x x x  – x x x x x x x
Kyrgyzstan
PDF
x  – x x x x
Latvia
PDF
x x x x x x x x x x
Lithuania
PDF
x x x x x x x x x x
Madagascar
PDF
x x x x x x
Malaysia
PDF
x x x  – x x x  – x  –  –
Mauritius
PDF
x x x x x
Mexico
PDF 11
PDF 22 update
x x x x x x x x 1 x
Monaco
PDF
x x 1
Morocco
PDF
x x x x x x * 11 x x
Netherlands
PDF
x x x x x x x x x 12
New Zealand
PDF
x x *13 x x x 14 x
Norway
PDF
x x x x x x x x x x x
Oman
PDF
x x x x x x40 x x x x
Pakistan
PDF
x x x x x x x x
Peru
PDF
x x x x x x x x 1
Philippines
PDF
PDF2 update
x x x x x x x x 15 x
Poland
PDF
x x x x x x  x x x x
Portugal
PDF
x x x x x x  x x x x 17
Qatar
PDF
 x  –  x x x 26
x 27
x  –
Republic of Korea
PDF
x x x x x x x x * 18

Republic of Moldova
PDF1
PDF2 update

x  x  x x  x x x x x 
Romania
PDF
x  x  x x  x  * 29
x x  –
Russian Federation
PDFRU PDFEN
x  x  x x x x  x x x
Sao Tome and Principe
PDFEN PDFES
x x x x x x x
Saudi Arabia
PDF
x x x  – x x  –  – x x  –
Serbia
PDF
x x x x x x x x 1 x
Slovakia
PDF
x  x x x  x x  x  x x 1 x
South Africa
PDF
x  x  * 28
x  x x x  x  –
Spain
PDF
x  x x x  x x x x x 1 x 11 x 
Sri Lanka
PDF
x  x x x x x x
Sudan
PDF
x  –  – *38 x  –  – x x 1 39 x
Sweden
PDF
x  x x x x  x  x x x 1 x
Switzerland
PDF
x x x x x x x x 1 x x
Tajikistan
PDF
x x x x x x x x x
Thailand
PDF
x x x x x x x x
Turkey
PDF
x  x x x x x x x x 1
Uganda
PDF
x x x  – x x x x x 31
Ukraine
PDF
x  x x x x   x x x

United Kingdom
PDF1
PDF2 update
PDF3 update

x x  x x x x x x x x x
United Republic of Tanzania
PDF
x x x x x x
United States of America
PDF
x x  x x x x x  * 19 * 20
Viet Nam
PDF
x x x x x x x x x x
Zambia
Zambia 1 1
Zambia 2 update 2 update
x x x x41 x
Zimbabwe
PDF
x x x x x x
Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO)
PDF
x  x  x x x  x  21 x 22

 

1. Only compulsory licensing, no government use exception.
2. There is no statutory provision related to private and/or non-commercial use exception.  However, it is considered that a non-commercial use defense may arise under common law.
3. Only exception relating to the breeders' use of patented inventions, no exception relating to the farmers' use of patented inventions.
4. There is no statutory exception related to the use of articles on foreign vessels, aircrafts and land vehicles. However, Article 5ter of the Paris Convention and Article 27 of the Chicago Convention applies.
5. There is no national statutory provision. However, Article 5ter of the Paris Convention applies.
6. The response refers to Article 33 of the Invention Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However no express exception for private and non-commercial use is provided by statutory law.
7. Response was not provided. However, the exception is provided by Article 33(c) of the Invention Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
8. There is no express statutory provision on prior use.
9. The response states that there is no such exception, but refers to government use for public health reasons.
10. The response refers to Section VII (New Plant Varities) of the Industrial Property Code of 2005.
11. The response refers to a future amendment of the legal framework.
12. Only exceptions relating to the farmers' use of patented inventions, no exception relating to the breeders' use of patented inventions.
13. While there is no prior use exception, a prior secret use constitutes a round for revocation of the patent.
14. The applicable type of exhaustion regime is uncertain.
15. International exhaustion is applied in relation to drugs and medicines, national exhaustion is applied for all other products.
16. The response refers to exceptions to plant variety protection.
17. While there is no government use exception, the response refers to the law regarding the expropriation of patents.
18. The response refers to exceptions available under the Seed Industry Act.
19. The response states that there are no such exceptions in patent protection, but refers to farmers' and breeders' use in plant variety protection.
20. The response refers to mechanisms in competition law.
21. The applicable type of exhaustion regime is defined according to the national laws of Contracting States.
22. Only compulsory licensing, government use exception is provided according to the national laws of Contracting States.
23.  The response refers to compulsory licenses.
24.  The exception applies to patents on plants and plant varieties only.
25. The response refers to Article 38 of Law No 9947.
26.  The response refers to Article 15 of Qatar Decree Law No. (30), 2006.
27.  The response refers to Article 11 of Qatar Decree Law No. (30), 2006.
28.  The response refers to Section 26b of the Patent Act 57 of 1978.
29. There is no express statutory provision related to acts for obtaining regulatory approval from authorities. However, the exception is applied in case of obtaining an authorization to put a medicine or plant protection product on the market.
30.  Please see PDF2 update which contains updated information related to experimental use and scientific research exception, as well as exception relating to acts for obtaining regulatory approval from authorities, submitted on June 28, 2013.
31.  The response refers to sui generis system for protection of plant breeders' rights.
32.  The response states that no such provisions exist under the Indian Patents Act, but refers to the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' rights Act of 2001.

33.  The response refers to plant variety protection under Law No. 20.247 on Seeds and Phytogenetic Creations.
34.  The response states that for the exhibition purpose, exception to prior use is provided under the law.
35.  Only government use exception.
36.  The law does not provide an exception related to farmers' or breeders' use of patented inventions. The response references the Law on protection of Animal Breedings and Plant Varieties.
37.  The response refers to The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act of 2001.
38.  There is no statutory provision related to an exception for preparation of medicines. However, Article 53 of the Patents Act 1971 is relevant.
39.  The response refers to plant breeders' rights under the National Seeds and Protection of Varieties Act of 2010.
40.  The response refers to Section 13 of the Industrial Property Law 67/2008. However, the regulatory review exception is provided under Section 11(4)(a) of the Industrial Property Rights and their Enforcement for the Sultanate of Oman (Royal Decree No. 67/2008).
41.The Medicines and Allied Substances Act No.3 of 2013 provide for regulatory approval.