Table of Contents
Patents of Invention
Legal Basis
– Decree-Law No. 97/99M on Industrial Property, in force since June 6, 2000.
Membership in International Conventions
– Paris Convention.
Filing Requirements
– Applicant’s name, nationality and address;
– Inventor’s name, nationality and address;
– The patent application must be filed in Chinese or Portuguese. (Note: at present all patent examinations are carried out by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), therefore, all the required documents must be submitted in the Chinese language);
– A notarized power of attorney;
– A title or a summary of the invention (max. 150 words or 400 characters);
– A description of the subject matter of the invention, with drawings if necessary;
– Claims and abstract;
– When claiming a priority right, the country, date and number of the earlier application for each claim must be provided.
Remarks
Duration: patent issued after formal and substantive examination – valid for 20 years.
Annuities: renewable from the fourth year onwards with the payment of annuities, which should be paid in the last six months of the current validity.
Opposition: from the publication of the disclosure notice until the date when the patent is granted, any third party may file oppositions to the patentability of the invention.
Trade and Service Marks
Legal Basis
– Decree-Law No. 97/99M, in force since June 6, 2000.
Membership in International Conventions
– Paris Convention.
Filing Requirements
– An application, written in one of the official languages (Chinese or Portuguese), indicating the name or company name of the applicant, nationality and address;
– A notarized power of attorney;
– 1 print of the mark. If in color, the respective color description, if color is to be claimed as a feature of the trademark;
– The list of products or services covered by the trademark, in accordance with the International Classification;
– Priority claim, if applicable (the priority documents must be submitted within three months from the Macao application date) and the applicant claiming priority must declare the intention to do so when filing the application;
– Government filing fee (the filing fee should be submitted with the application to avoid any delay in processing);
– Nature of business of the applicant (industrial, commercial or other).
Remarks
Duration – renewals: 7 years from the date of grant; renewable for further periods of 7 years.
Obligation to use the registered mark: compulsory. Should a trademark not be object of serious use for three consecutive years it will become vulnerable to a non-use cancellation that can be filed by any interested party. Use by a licensee is accepted.
Opposition: may be filed within two months from the date of the publication. The applicant will be given a month to answer the opposition claim.
Industrial Designs
Legal Basis
– Decree-Law No. 97/99M, in force since June 6, 2000.
Membership in International Conventions
– Paris Convention.
Filing Requirements
– An application, written in one of the official languages (Chinese or Portuguese), with the applicant’s name, nationality and address and/or the creator’s name, nationality and address;
– A notarized power of attorney;
– A title or a summary of the specifications or the purpose for which the design or model is intended (max. 150 words or 400 characters);
– A description including the geometrical or ornamental details;
– A reproduction, along with drawings (showing different perspectives of the model) or photographs. If claiming a combination of colors, the drawings or pictures should show the colors claimed;
– Priority claim, if applicable (indicating the country, the date and number of the earlier application). The priority documents must be submitted within three months from the Macao application filing date.
Note: the following document should also be submitted: a description of the innovative characteristics attributed to the subject matter of the model or design applied for.
Remarks
Duration: after formal examination and substantive examination: 5 years from the filing date. This period may be renewed upon payment of annuities from the sixth year onwards, up to a maximum of 25 years. The renewal application shall be submitted within the last six months of the current validity period. Grace period for renewal: once the term of current validity lapses it is possible, within six months, to pay the official fee plus a fine, being that, the revival of the design/model is possible with the triple payment of the official fee, within one year from the term of current validity.
Opposition: from the publication of the disclosure notice until the date when the design/model is granted, any third party may file oppositions. The applicant will be notified of such oppositions, and may reply within two months counted from the notification date.
Domain Names
Filing
ccTLD: .mo
Applicant: must be either a local business, an organization, or a liberal professional, which has been registered according to the law and can independently assume civil liability. Only individuals of liberal professions may apply for domain name registration.
Local presence: a branch office in Macao is required when applying for registration of a domain name. However, even without a company registered in Macao, it is still possible to apply for a domain name, providing that the applicant owns a mark registered in Macao and has a representative who will act as the registered owner of the domain name.
Remarks
Duration – renewals: three years, renewable.
Uniform dispute resolution procedure: none.