Handbook for Investors. Business location in Switzerland.

Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IGE)
www.ige.ch
Languages: German, English, French, Italian
• International patent: The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT),
which Switzerland has ratified, enables inventors to submit an
international registration which then has the same effect as a
national registration in all named member states. International
registrations can be submitted to the IGE in English.
Protective rights register
www.swissreg.ch
Languages: German, English, French, Italian
It takes an average of three to five years between an application
being filed and the patent being granted. Patents expire after a
maximum of 20 years. For topographies or three-dimensional
structures of semiconductor products, the protection period is ten
years. A patent costs CHF 200 for the application and CHF 500
for the investigation. Annual renewal fees are payable starting five
years after the date of filing.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Switzerland is one of the most active countries in the OECD in
terms of the number of patent applications per inhabitant.
www.wipo.int
Languages: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian
Europe's network of patent databases
3.3.1 Patents
Inventions that solve a technical problem by technical means can
be protected with a patent. To be eligible for a patent, the invention
must meet three basic criteria:
• Commercial application: The invention must be commercially
usable, actually realizable and repeatable.
• Novelty: An invention is considered novel when it is not already
state-of-the-art.
• Non-obviousness: The invention must not be obviously (for an
expert) related to the state of the art.
Ideas, lottery or accounting systems, therapeutic, surgical or
diagnostic procedures, animal breeds and plant species cannot
be patented.
There are three ways to protect an invention with a patent application
effective in Switzerland:
• Swiss patent: With national registration, the patent protection
extends to Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
• European patent: The European Patent Convention (EPC)
enables applicants to obtain protection in the member states of
the EPC, including Switzerland, through a standardized patent
investigation and granting procedure.
www.espacenet.com
Languages: German, English, French
Patent attorneys
www.ige.ch
Languages: German, English, French, Italian
3.3.2 Brands
It is advisable to register trademarks and brands in good time in
both the home market and the most important export markets. In
most cases, application for trademark protection in foreign countries
follows on from the trademark’s registration in Switzerland.
Before registering the planned trademark in the trademark register
and the commercial register, it is important to find out whether
other trademarks exist that are identical or so similar as to cause
confusion. Specific searches can be conducted online, and all the
data needed for the registration of Swiss trademarks can also be
entered and submitted online.
Handbook for Investors 2010
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