{"id":10181,"date":"2025-02-11T10:19:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T13:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/?p=10181"},"modified":"2025-02-11T10:20:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T13:20:59","slug":"os-casos-de-extincao-das-patentes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/os-casos-de-extincao-das-patentes\/","title":{"rendered":"Cases of patent revocation"},"content":{"rendered":"

A patent is a title granted by the State that grants its holder the exclusive right to exploit an invention for a specific period. In Brazil, as provided for in Law No. 9,279\/1996 (Industrial Property Law), the term of validity is 20 years for invention patents and 15 years for utility models, counted from the date of filing of the registration application (BRASIL, 1996).<\/p>\n

However, the patent may be terminated before the end of its term due to certain factors, which are highlighted below:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Expiry of the term of validity: <\/strong>When a patent reaches its maximum protection period, it expires and enters the public domain, at which point anyone can use the technology without needing a license or paying royalties to the former owner. This phenomenon is of utmost importance for democratizing access to technology and promoting incremental innovation (WIPO, 2021).<\/li>\n
  2. Resignation of the holder:<\/strong> The holder may, at any time, waive the patent or part of it. This phenomenon may occur for several reasons, including business strategies that aim to redirect resources to other areas of interest or investments in new technologies. The waiver may also be a response to changes in the market or the discovery that the exploitation of the patent has become economically unviable (ALMEIDA, 2020).<\/li>\n
  3. Non-payment of annual fees:<\/strong> To keep the patent active, the holder must pay annual fees to the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), and failure to pay the annual fees may result in the termination of the right. This continuous payment mechanism serves not only to generate revenue for the regulatory body, but also to ensure that only patents of real interest and utility are maintained (GON\u00c7ALVES, 2019).<\/li>\n
  4. Lack of exploration:<\/strong> Brazilian law requires that patents be commercially exploited. Failure to use a patent may allow third parties to request a compulsory license, which may, if not complied with, lead to the termination of the patent. This requirement aims to ensure that patents fulfill their social role of fostering technological and economic development (MELLO, 2018).<\/li>\n
  5. Judicial or administrative annulment:<\/strong> A patent may be revoked if it is proven that it was granted improperly, either due to an error by the regulatory body or due to irregularities in the process, such as lack of novelty or inventive step. The revocation process aims to correct flaws in the patent granting system, ensuring the integrity of the intellectual property system (SANTOS, 2021).<\/li>\n
  6. Death of the holder: <\/strong>If the patent holder dies and there are no legal heirs or transfers of ownership, the patent may be extinguished. This reason, although less common, highlights the importance of succession planning in the management of intellectual assets.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In view of this, it is necessary for companies and inventors to effectively manage their intellectual assets and avoid premature patent termination, and it is essential to have the support of a lawyer specialized in intellectual property. This professional will work to control these deadlines, monitoring critical dates for the payment of annuities and other legal obligations, avoiding the loss of rights due to default.<\/p>\n

    Furthermore, legal advice is essential for strategic planning, assisting in the decision to maintain or waive patents, as well as in assessing the commercial and strategic viability of exploiting the invention. Guidance is also needed on granting usage licenses and the need for commercial exploitation of the patent to avoid compulsory license requests. The lawyer can also act in administrative or legal defense, representing the holder in cancellation proceedings or other disputes related to the patent, ensuring the protection of rights and the regularization of possible inconsistencies.<\/p>\n

    Understanding the causes of patent lapses is essential for companies and inventors to strategically manage their intellectual assets. Patent holders must be aware of the legal and financial requirements necessary to maintain their rights, as well as the consequences of eventual lapse. Relying on specialized legal counsel is crucial to ensure that patents are managed efficiently and strategically, maximizing the value of intellectual assets and promoting continuous innovation.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    by Kamille Trindade Machado \u2013 Partner; Lawyer; Master in Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer for Innovation from PROFNIT\/IFRS; Graduated in Law from PUCRS.<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Bibliographic References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    ALMEIDA, J. R. “Estrat\u00e9gias de Ren\u00fancia a Patentes e seus Impactos Econ\u00f4micos.” Revista de Direito Empresarial, vol. 15, n. 3, 2020, pp. 245-267.<\/p>\n

    BRASIL. Lei n\u00ba 9.279, de 14 de maio de 1996. Lei da Propriedade Industrial. Di\u00e1rio Oficial da Uni\u00e3o, Bras\u00edlia, 15 maio 1996.<\/p>\n

    GON\u00c7ALVES, M. P. “A Inadimpl\u00eancia nas Anuidades de Patentes.” Revista de Propriedade Intelectual, vol. 10, n. 2, 2019, pp. 135-152.<\/p>\n

    MELLO, A. T. “A Explora\u00e7\u00e3o Comercial de Patentes e a Licen\u00e7a Compuls\u00f3ria.” Revista Brasileira de Propriedade Industrial, vol. 20, n. 1, 2018, pp. 95-112.<\/p>\n

    SANTOS, L. F. “Anula\u00e7\u00e3o de Patentes: Um Estudo sobre a Legalidade e Irregularidades.” Jornal de Direito Industrial, vol. 8, n. 4, 2021, pp. 187-204.<\/p>\n

    WIPO. “Understanding Industrial Property.” World Intellectual Property Organization, 2021.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A patente \u00e9 um t\u00edtulo outorgado pelo Estado que confere ao seu titular o direito exclusivo de explora\u00e7\u00e3o de uma inven\u00e7\u00e3o por um per\u00edodo determinado. No Brasil, conforme disposto na Lei n\u00ba 9.279\/1996 (Lei da Propriedade Industrial), o prazo de vig\u00eancia \u00e9 de 20 anos para patentes de inven\u00e7\u00e3o e de 15 anos para modelos […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leao-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10181"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10184,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10181\/revisions\/10184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leao.adv.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}