Understanding Lithuania’s Industrial Design and Patent Protection Procedures
Industrial Design and Patent Protection in Lithuania: Comprehensive Guidelines
Lithuania, as a member of the European Union, provides a well-structured and transparent system for industrial design and patent protection. The State Patent Office of the Republic of Lithuania (SPB) administers all related matters, ensuring both local and international applicants enjoy clear procedural standards and strong legal safeguards. The following overview outlines the documentation, examination, and protection terms for design and patent filings in Lithuania.
Authority:
State Patent Office of the Republic of Lithuania (SPB), www.vpb.gov.lt
Terms of Protection:
- Registered Design (RCD): Initial term of 5 years, renewable four times for a total of 25 years.
- Unregistered Design: 3 years of protection from the first public disclosure in the EU, non-renewable.
Filing Routes and Deadlines:
- Applications claiming Paris Convention must be filed within 6 months from the earliest priority date.
Required Documents:
- Representations / Pictures
- A brief description
- Declaration by the inventor
- Certified copy of priority document/ DAS copy (if any)
- Ownership Statement / Employment Statement / Priority Assignment
Process & Procedure:
An industrial design in Lithuania must possess novelty and individual character, and the application may be submitted either electronically or in paper form. A single design application may include up to 100 industrial designs of identical products, provided that all products belong to the same Locarno class. The State Patent Bureau (VPB) conducts formality examination only for industrial design applications.
From the date of submission of the design application, the priority of the design is established, and temporary protection is granted until the issuance of the design certificate.
The registration and publication of the design shall not take place earlier than 6 months after the filing date, allowing the future design owner to prepare for placing the authorized design product on the market. The applicant may also request deferred publication, in which case the design may be published up to 30 months after the filing date or the priority date.
Once the applicant has paid the grant fee, publication fee, and certificate fee, and if the non-publication period has expired, the design will be registered and published in the Official Gazette of Industrial Property. Interested parties may file an opposition within three months from the publication date, together with the prescribed opposition fee. The opposition request must state the grounds and supporting evidence for declaring the design registration invalid. If no opposition is filed within three months, or if the opposition is rejected after examination, the VPB will issue the design certificate to the rights holder.
Grace Period for Novelty:
- Design applicants are entitled to a 12-month grace period before the filing or priority date in cases of disclosure at international exhibitions or malicious disclosure by third parties.
Grant and Renewal Fees:
- The first renewal fee covers registration and publication. Subsequent renewal fees must be paid within 6 months before the current protection term expires.
Granting Time:
The average time for registration and grant of an industrial design in Lithuania is approximately 9 months.
Conclusion
Lithuania’s design and patent framework offers an efficient system emphasizing legal clarity, administrative transparency, and applicant-friendly flexibility. With its modernized procedures and digital submission options, the country ensures strong protection for creative and technical innovations across diverse industries.