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• Intellectual property
  • Your intellectual property
    • Your competitors’ intellectual property
    • Conditional protection
  • All IP rights at a glance
    • Trade mark protection
    • Patent protection
    • Design protection
    • Copyright
  • Developing an IP strategy
    • How do I formulate an IP strategy?
    • What does an IP strategy consist of?
    • Help in developing an IP strategy
  • Counterfeiting and piracy
    • What does the law say?
    • How can I defend my rights?
    • Involvement of the IPI
    • Studies
    • Archive
      • ACTA
        • Negotiations
        • Information and Consultation Meetings
        • Published documents
        • Frequently asked questions
  • IP and society
    • Swiss health foreign policy and access to therapeutic products
      • Public Health
        • Documents and links
    • Sustainable development/environment/agriculture
    • Data processing and data security
      • Definition and some examples
      • Conclusions of the report
      • Background and previous work
      • Analysis of the Data Market
    • Innovation
    • Future scenarios
      • Robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)
      • Big Data
      • Internet of things (IoT)
      • Augemented Reality
      • Virtual Reality
      • Blockchain
  • SME portal
    • Help for SMEs
    • SME testimonies
      • Protecting trade marks
      • Protecting patents
      • Designs
      • Innovation
      • Enforcing your IP rights
      • Licensing
  • Guide for Innovative and Creative Minds
    • Idea
      • Can ideas be protected?
      • Keep it a secret!
      • Do your research!
      • Found something?
      • If you don’t find
      • Realistic project?
      • To protect or not?
    • Product development
      • Prototype
      • Cooperation
      • Technical problems
      • Business plan
      • Starting a company
      • Internet presence
      • Trade mark
      • Everything legal?
      • Don’t infringe!
    • IP strategy
      • Define your strategy
      • IP rights are assets
    • Patents
      • Protection requirements
      • No protection for...
      • Filing a patent application
      • Protection abroad
      • Costs
    • Trade marks
      • Grounds for refusal
      • Search first!
      • Trade mark registration
      • Protection abroad
      • Costs
    • Designs
      • Requirements for protection
      • No protection for
      • Depositing designs
      • Protection abroad
      • Costs
    • Copyright
      • Conditions for protection
      • No protection for
      • Protection abroad
    • Marketing
      • Advertising
      • Keep a record!
    • Enforcement
      • Monitor your competition
      • Export
      • Monitor register entries
      • Litigation?
      • Managing rights
      • Dealing with conflicts
      • Protection expired?
    • Any questions?
• Protecting your IP
  • Trade marks
    • Before you apply
      • Your IP protection strategy
        • Trade mark categories
        • Trade mark types
        • List of goods and services
          • Classification tool
        • National or international application
        • Trade mark consultants
      • Requirements for protection
        • Grounds for refusal
          • Protected public signs
        • Risk of conflict
          • Carrying out a search yourself
          • Professional searches
        • Trade mark examination support tool
    • National applications
      • Duration of procedure
      • Costs and fees
      • Application rejected?
    • International applications
      • Filing your application
      • Documents and links
      • Costs and fees
    • After registration
      • Use your trade mark
        • Cancellation procedure for trade marks on the grounds of non-use
      • Monitor and defend your trade mark
        • Filing an objection
      • Updating your register entry
      • Renewing protection
    • FAQs
  • Indications of source
    • Indications of source basics
      • Criteria for determining origin
        • Natural products
        • Foodstuffs
        • Industrial products
          • 'Swissness' calculator
        • Services
      • Swissness
        • The Swiss cross
        • The Swiss coat of arms
    • Protecting geographical indications
      • Protection in Switzerland
        • Right to protection
        • Proof of representation
        • Product specification
        • Application and examination
        • Post registration
        • Register for geographical indications
      • Protection abroad
      • Lisbon System
        • Registration and fees
        • Filing an opposition
      • Geographical mark
    • Fighting misuse
      • The role of the IPI
    • FAQ
  • Patents
    • Patent basics
      • What is a patent?
      • What is an invention?
      • Why patent an invention?
      • Alternatives to patenting
      • Who has what rights to the invention?
      • Where is a patent valid?
      • Patent searches and monitoring
    • Before you apply
      • Patenting strategy
      • Analysing your invention
      • Verifying novelty
      • Three routes to patent protection
        • National patent application
        • European patent application
        • International patent application
        • Combining the three procedures
      • Priority period
      • Costs and fees
        • Patents fees
      • Patent attorneys
        • The IP Advisory Network
        • The Swiss Patent Attorney Register
        • The European Patent Attorney Register
        • Patent attorney associations in CH and FL
    • Application in Switzerland
      • Application procedure
        • The patenting procedure
        • Technical documents
          • Description
          • Patent claims
          • The abstract
          • The technical drawings
        • Formalities for filing your invention
        • Application form
        • Classification
        • Priority documents
        • Verify the scope of protection of your patent by carrying out a search
        • The disclosure
      • The substantive examination
        • Accelerating the examination
        • Modifying the technical documents
      • The granting
    • International application
    • Depositing biological material
    • After your patent has been granted
      • Opposition
      • Patent marking
      • Exploiting your patent
      • Patent disputes
      • Enforcing your patent
      • Register entry
      • The supplementary protection certificate (SPC)
        • Paediatric extensions
    • FAQs
  • Designs
    • Before you apply
      • Requirements for protection
        • Non-protectable elements
      • Your IP protection strategy
        • Analysing your design
        • Representing your design
        • Classifying your design
      • Novelty and priority
      • Design searches
      • Applying nationally or internationally
    • Swiss applications
      • Steps for registering a design
      • Submitting your application
      • Schedule of fees
      • Registration and publication
      • Deferring publication
    • EU applications
    • International applications
    • Post registration
      • Renewing protection
      • Cancelling a design
      • Exploiting designs
      • Enforcing design rights
    • FAQs
  • Copyright
    • The basics
    • Protecting a work
      • Assigning copyright
      • The tangible benefits
      • Proving authorship
      • Enforcing rights
    • Using a work
      • Permitted uses
        • Quoting from works
      • Protection for photographs
        • Are all photos protected?
      • Public Domain
      • Creative Commons
      • Copyright on the internet
      • Copyright in schools
        • Non-class based uses
        • Teachers and students as rights owners
      • Copyright in businesses
        • Rights assignment and licensing
    • Collective management organisations
      • Post from ProLitteris
      • Supervision
    • The tasks of the IPI
    • Monitoring Office OTM
      • Investigations and reports
      • Reporting technological measures misuse
      • OTM activity reports
  • Topographies
    • Register
• Law and policy
  • National IP law
    • Trade mark law
      • Revision of the customs assistance procedure
    • Patent law
      • Transparency in the area of plant breeding
        • Plant breeding and patents
      • Revision of the Patents Act
        • Objectives of the revision
          • Strengthening the Swiss patent
          • Streamlined appeal procedure
        • Parliamentary deliberation
        • Consultation procedure
        • What has happened up to now?
      • Revision of the customs assistance procedure
      • Patent Attorney Act
        • Protection of the professional title “Patent Attorney”
        • Supervision and release from professional confidentiality
        • Patent Attorney Register FAQs
      • Biotechnological inventions
      • Parallel imports and exhaustion
      • The transit of goods protected by patent
      • Archive
        • Patent Attorney Act and Patent Court Act
          • Protection of the professional title
          • Supervision and release from professional confidentiality
          • Frequently asked questions
        • Biotechnological inventions
          • Additional informations
        • Parallel Imports
          • Additional informations
        • Free choice of medical treatment
        • Paediatric extensions
          • Results of the consultation procedure
    • Design law
      • Revision of the customs assistance procedure
    • Indications of source
      • Swiss indications of source
        • Entry into force
        • Background and goals
        • Evaluation
        • New legislation
          • Laws
          • Ordinances
        • Industry ordinances
          • Revision of the Ordinance on the Use of "Swiss" for Watches
          • The “Swiss Made” Ordinance for Cosmetics
        • FAQ
        • FAQ
        • Archive
          • Chronology of the legislative process Swissness
            • Chronology
            • Federal Council Report 2006
            • Consultation procedure 2007
            • Dispatch 2009
            • Consultation procedure 2014
          • Consultation procedure 2015
            • Results of the consultation procedure
          • Consultation 2016
            • Results consultation procedure
          • Frequently asked questions – Swissness (old legislation)
    • Copyright law
      • Neighbouring rights for the media
        • All about the draft amendment
          • New regulations and consequences
          • FAQ
        • Consultation procedure
      • Revision of copyright law
        • The key reforms
        • Parliamentary deliberations
        • All about the draft amendment
          • Fighting piracy efficiently
          • Using the opportunities offered by digitalisation
          • Other key points of the draft act
        • Consultation on the revision of copyright law
          • Results of the consultation procedure
        • The AGUR12 working group
          • AGUR12
        • Archive
          • Partial amendment 2008
      • Revision of the customs assistance procedure
    • Other industrial property rights
  • International IP law
    • IP organisations
      • WIPO
        • Trade marks
        • Patents
        • Designs
        • Indications of source
        • Geographical indications
        • Flags and emblems
        • Copyright
        • Enforcement
        • Biodiversity and sustainable development
          • Traditional knowledge and indigenous peoples
          • Disclosure of source
          • WIPO Green
      • EPO
        • Unitary EU patent system
    • Other organisations
      • WTO
        • Archive
          • TRIPS Agreement and public health
          • Geographical indications
      • WHO
        • Archive
          • WHO/IPR
          • Intellectual property, innovation and public health
          • Previous discussions
      • FAO
        • International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
      • CBD
        • Biodiversity
          • FAQs on biodiversity
        • Nagoya Protocol
        • Working Group on Article 8(j) CBD
      • ICANN
        • Domain names
    • Bilateral agreements
      • Free trade agreements
        • EFTA
        • Switzerland - China
      • Agreements on Geographical indications
      • Trade and economic cooperation
    • Bilateral relations
      • China
      • India
        • Archive
    • Substantive patent law harmonisation
      • Consultation on the patent law harmonisation
        • Consultation report
  • Development cooperation
    • Objectives and principles
    • Current projects
      • Albania
      • Georgia
      • Iran
      • Colombia Phase 2
      • Myanmar
      • Peru Phase 2
      • Serbia
      • Serbia Technopark
      • South Africa
      • Tunisia
      • Global Program for Intellectual Property Rights
    • Completed projects
• Services
  • Searches
    • Patent searches in general
      • Searching for patents yourself
      • Assisted searches
        • Assisted Patent Search
        • Assisted Patent Landscape Analysis
        • Assisted search at a partner location
        • Testimonials
      • Patent Application Search
      • Patent Register Search
      • Advanced searches
      • Feedback form
    • Trade mark searches
  • Training and courses
    • Crash course
    • Introduction to IP (online)
    • Advanced course
    • Course for IP Specialists and the Swiss Patent Attorney Examination
    • "À la carte" courses
      • Copy-right or Wrong? Training for School Heads
      • Copy-right or Wrong? Training for Teachers
      • Brand Management and Trade Mark Law
      • Overview of IP and Practical Know-How
      • Dealing with Know-how in Cooperation Agreements
      • Quick and Efficient Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights
      • Company technologies – To Protect or Not To Protect?
      • Keeping Company Know-How Confidential
      • Structuring and Maintaining a Patent Department – Specifically for Decision-Makers
      • Domain rights
    • Training calendar
    • Lectures
    • Prices
    • Registration and cancellation
    • Team
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    • Blog
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  • Publications
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    • The sic! online journal
    • Statistics
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        • 2021
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  • Digital resources
    • Databases and directories
      • Swissreg
      • Databases
        • Trade mark database
          • Help with the trade mark database
        • Patent database
          • Help with the patent database
        • Design database
          • Help with the design database
        • SPC / paediatric SPC database
          • Help with the SPC / paediatric SPC database
        • List of protected public signs
          • Help with the list of protected public signs
      • Protected abbreviations
      • Protected emblems
    • Online services
      • e-trademark
      • International trade mark registration
        • Help with international trade mark registration
      • Classification tool
      • Examination support tool
      • Register changes
        • Official documents of evidence
      • Current account debit order
        • Help for current account debit order
      • User account for online services
    • IP data
      • Trade mark data
      • Patent data
  • Correspondence and payment
    • Submitting documents and receiving correspondence
      • Submitting documentation for procedures
      • Email submissions
        • Security certificates
        • FAQs
      • Submissions via our online services
      • Electronic delivery
        • Requesting electronic delivery
        • FAQs
      • Data Exchange Platform
    • Methods of payment
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      • Current account
      • Online payment and credit cards
      • Terms of payment
      • Beware of fake invoices for fees
  • Documents and links
    • Trade mark
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      • +pat+ and mod.dép.
    • Design
    • Indications of source
    • Copyright
    • The IPI and IP rights in general downloads