Patent law is being adapted to international standards, making it more attractive to SMEs and individual inventors, in particular. At its meeting of 20 May 2026, the Federal Council decided that the new legal bases will come into force on 1 January 2027. This section provides information on the completed legislative process.

In the future, the IPI will conduct a search on the state of the art for every patent application and summarise the key findings in a report. This will provide information on the patentability of the invention and help to increase transparency and legal certainty for both applicants and third parties. In addition, applicants will be able to request an examination of all patentability requirements in Switzerland, including novelty and inventive step.