Title I: General

Definitions     1

International Conventions     2

Title II: Patents for Invention and Patentability

Origin and Content of Patent     3

Patentable Inventions     4

Exceptions to Patentability     5

Novelty     6

Non-prejudicial Disclosures     7

Inventive Step     8

Industrial Application     9

Title III: Persons Entitled to Apply for and Obtain a Patent

Entitlement to File a Patent Application     10

Multiple Applicants     11

Right to a Patent     12

Employee Inventor     13

Patent Applications by Persons Not Entitled     14

Claim to the Right of a Patent     15

Effects of Change in Ownership of the Patent     16

Right of the Inventor to be Mentioned     17

Title IV: The Patent Application

Chapter I: Filing and Requirements of the Patent Application

Filing of the Patent Application     18

Requirements of the Patent Application     19

Filing Date     20

Unity of Invention     21

Disclosure of the Invention     22

The Claims     23

Drawings     24

The Abstract     25

Chapter II: Priority

Priority Right     26

Claiming Priority     27

Effect of Priority Right     28

Chapter III: Registration and Regularization of the Application

Registration of the Application     29

Regularization of the Application—Sanction     30

Divisional Applications     31

Withdrawal of the Application     32

Chapter IV: Prosecution of the Application—Grant of the Patent

Public Inspection     33

Observations by Third Parties     34

Documentary Searching     35

Request for Search Submitted by Another Party     36

Amendment of Claims, Description and Drawings     37

Search with Regard to an Invention Concerning Defense     38

Regularizations Concerning the Search Report     39

Restitutio in integrum     40

Grant of Patent     41

Entry and Publication of Grant     42

Title V: Rights and Obligations Deriving from Patent Applications and Patents

Term     43

Extent of Protection     44

Prohibition of Direct Exploitation of the Invention     45

Prohibition of Indirect Exploitation of the Invention     46

Limitation of the Effects of the Patent     47

Exhaustion of Rights Conferred by the Patent     48

Rights Conferred by the Patent for the Period Preceding its Grant     49

Rights Deriving from Prior Use or Personal Possession     50

Effects of Nullity of the Patent     51

Title VI: The Patent Application or Patent as an Object of Property

Joint Ownership     52

Transmission and Constitution of Rights     53

Assignment Inter Vivos     54

Contractual Licenses     55

Licenses of Right     56

Pledges     57

Seizure     58

Title VII: Compulsory Licenses and Ex-Officio Licenses

Compulsory Licenses     59

Procedure for Obtaining and Conditions of a Compulsory License     60

Withdrawal of Compulsory License     61

Dependent Patents     62

Ex Officio Licenses     63

Compulsory or Ex Officio Licenses in the Field of Semiconductors     63bis

Obligations of the Owner of a Patent that is the Subject Matter of a Compulsory License or an Ex Officio License     64

Transfer of a Compulsory License or an Ex Officio License     65

Entry of Decisions Relating to Compulsory License and Ex Officio Licenses     66

Title VIII: Maintenance, Reinstatement, Renunciation and Nullity

Maintenance     67

Payment of Annual Fees     68

Extension of Time Limits for Payment and Reinstatement of Rights as a General Measure     69

Reinstatement on Individual Decision     70

Preservation of Third Party Rights     71

Full or Partial Renunciation of the Patent     72

Causes of Nullity     73

Actions for Nullity and Contestation of Ownership     74

Entry of Decision     75

Title IX: Infringement

Acts Constituting Infringement     76

Persons Entitled to Institute Infringement Proceedings     77

Proceedings Based on a Patent Application and/or in Respect of Events that Occurred Prior to Grant of the Patent     78

Description, Infringement Seizure and Provisional Cessation     79

Infringement Proceedings and Damages     80

Process Patents: Burden of Proof     80bis

Confiscation     81

Prescription of Infringement Proceedings     82

Title X: Representation

General Principles of Representation     83

Appointment of a Common Representative     84

Register of Professional Representatives     85

Title XI: Miscellaneous Provisions

Changes to be Notified to the Service     86

Register     87

Public Inspection     88

Implementing Regulations and Schedules of Fees     89

Calculation of Time Limits     90

Title XII: Appeals

Competence and Procedure     91

Title XIII: European Patent Applications and European Patents

Translations and Annual Fees     92

National Administrative Formalities     93

Concurrence of a European Patent and a National Patent Application     94

Title XIV: International Patent Applications

Examination of International Applications Entering the National Phase     95

Title XV: Transitional and Final Provisions

Law Applicable During a Transitional Period     96

Institution of Infringement Proceedings During a Transitional Period     97

Confirmation of Earlier Entries in the Register of Professional Representatives     98

International Patent Classification     99

National Industrial Property Council     100

Repeal Provisions     101

Entry into Force     102

Definitions

Art. 1. For the purposes of this Law:

—     “Paris Convention” means the Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property signed in Paris on March 20, 1883, including each of its revised Acts, as ratified by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg;

—     “Agreement Establishing the WTO” means the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization, signed in Marrakech on April 15, 1994;

—     “Law of July 8, 1967” means the Law on the disclosure and working of inventions and manufacturing secrets affecting the defense of the territory or the security of the State;

—     “Minister” means the Minister having responsibility for intellectual property;

—     “Service” means the National Intellectual Property Service acting in implementation of the Paris Convention and of the national legislation on intellectual property;

—     “Head of Service” means the official placed in charge of the administration of intellectual property matters by the Minister by virtue of and in application of the statutory and regulatory provisions issued in that connection;

—     “Court” means the district court acting in civil affairs;

—     “Register” means the patent register kept by the Service;

—     “Professional Representative” means any natural person entered in the Register of Professional Representatives in accordance with Article 85 of this Law.

International Conventions

Art. 2.—1. This Law shall be without prejudice to the application of the provisions of international conventions on industrial property to which the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is party.

2. Notwithstanding the rights afforded the nationals of the other States party to the Paris Convention, Luxembourg nationals may claim application for their benefit, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, of the provisions of that Convention, together with the agreements, additional acts, and closing protocols that have amended or may amend that Convention, in all those cases in which such provisions are more favorable than Luxembourg law for protecting their industrial property rights.

Origin and Content of Patent

Art. 3. In accordance with the conditions and within the limits laid down by this Law, an invention may be the subject matter of an industrial property title issued by the Minister and referred to as a patent affording to its owner or to his successors in title an exclusive right of exploitation.

Patentable Inventions

Art. 4.—1. New inventions which involve an inventive step and which are susceptible of industrial application shall be patentable.

2. The following in particular shall not be regarded as inventions within the meaning of paragraph 1:

(a)     discoveries, scientific theories and mathematical methods;

(b)     aesthetic creations;

(c)     schemes, rules and methods for performing mental acts, playing games or doing business, and programs for computers;

(d)     presentations of information.

3. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall exclude patentability of the subject matter or activities referred to in that provision only to the extent to which a patent application or a patent relates to those subject matters or activities as such.

4. Methods for treatment of the human or animal body by surgery or therapy and diagnostic methods practiced on the human or animal body shall not be regarded as inventions which are susceptible of industrial application within the meaning of paragraph 1. This provision shall not apply to products, in particular substances or compositions, for use in any of these methods.

Exceptions to Patentability

Art. 5. The following shall be excluded from the protection provided by this Law:

(1) inventions the publication or exploitation of which would be contrary to public policy or morality, provided that the exploitation shall not be deemed to be so contrary merely because it is prohibited by law or regulations;

(2) plant or animal varieties or essentially biological processes for the production of plants or animals; this provision does not apply to microbiological processes or the products thereof.

Novelty

Art. 6.—1. An invention shall be considered to be new if it does not form part of the state of the art.

2. The state of the art shall be held to comprise everything made available to the public by means of a written or oral description, by use, or in any other way, before the date of filing of the patent application.

3. Additionally, the content of Luxembourg patent applications and of European or international patent applications designating Luxembourg, as filed, of which the dates of filing are prior to the date referred to in paragraph 2 and which were published on or after that date, shall be considered as comprised in the state of the art.

4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 to 3 shall not exclude the patentability of any substance or composition, comprised in the state of the art, for use in a method referred to in Article 4.4, provided that its use for any methods referred to in that Article is not comprised in the state of the art.

Non-prejudicial Disclosures

Art. 7.—1. For the application of Article 6, a disclosure of the invention shall not be taken into consideration if it occurred no earlier than six months preceding the filing of the patent application and if it was due to or in consequence of:

(a)     an evident abuse in relation to the applicant or his legal predecessor or

(b)     the fact that the applicant or his legal predecessor had displayed the invention at an official, or officially recognized, international exhibition falling within the terms of the Convention on International Exhibitions signed at Paris on November 22, 1928 and last revised on November 30, 1972.

2. In the case of paragraph 1(b), paragraph 1 shall apply only if the applicant states, when filing the patent application, that the invention has been so displayed and files a supporting certificate within the period and under the conditions laid down in a Grand-Ducal Regulation.

Inventive Step

Art. 8. An invention shall be considered as involving an inventive step if, having regard to the state of the art, it is not obvious to a person skilled in the art. If the state of the art also includes documents within the meaning of Article 6.3, such documents are not to be considered in deciding whether there has been an inventive step.

Industrial Application

Art. 9. An invention shall be considered as susceptible of industrial application if it can be made or used in any kind of industry, including agriculture.

Entitlement to File a Patent Application

Art. 10. A patent application may be filed by any natural or legal person, or any entity equivalent to a legal person by virtue of the law governing it.

Multiple Applicants

Art. 11. A patent application may also be filed by two or more applicants who jointly exercise the rights afforded to them by law, even after grant of a patent.

Right to a Patent

Art. 12.—1. The right to a patent shall belong to the inventor or his successor in title.

2. If two or more persons have made an invention independently of each other, the right to a patent shall belong to the person whose patent application has the earliest date of filing.

3. For the purposes of proceedings before the Service, the applicant shall be deemed to be entitled to exercise the right to the patent.

Employee Inventor

Art. 13.—1. If the inventor is an employee, the right to the patent, in the absence of any contractual clause more favorable to the employee, shall be determined in accordance with the following provisions.

The invention shall belong to the employer where made by an employee in the execution either of an employment contract comprising an inventive mission that corresponds to his effective tasks or of study or research explicitly entrusted to him.

The same shall apply if the invention is made by an employee either in the execution of his tasks or in the field of activity of the undertaking or through the knowledge or by use of the techniques or means specific to the undertaking or of data obtained by the undertaking.

All other inventions shall belong to the employee.

2. An employee who is the author of an invention shall inform his employer thereof and the latter shall confirm receipt.

The employee and the employer shall communicate to each other all necessary information concerning the invention. They shall refrain from any disclosure such as may compromise in whole or in part the exercise of the rights afforded by this Law.

Any agreement between the employee and the employer concerning an employee invention shall be set out in writing on pain of nullity.

3. Where the employer obtains a significant profit by reason of the patent, he shall be required to afford to the inventor an equitable share in the profits thus made.

4. Where legal proceedings are instituted by an employee who has made an invention belonging to his employer and for which a patent has been granted and it is ascertained that the employer obtains a significant profit by reason of that patent, the Court shall award special remuneration to the employee. Before taking any procedural steps, the Court shall hear the parties with a view to conciliation on the principle and on the amount of remuneration. The action afforded inventors under this paragraph shall be prescribed after three years from grant of the patent. However, the time limit shall be suspended for a period of one year if a request for the payment of special remuneration is addressed to the employer by registered mail.

5. Any decision on the payment of special remuneration may provide for the payment of a basic lump sum and of a periodical allocation or for the payment of one only of such types of remuneration. At the request of either of the parties, the Court that has taken the decision may amend it, withdraw it or suspend its application in whole or in part.

6. When determining the amount of the special remuneration due to the employee, the Court shall take into consideration all the circumstances in which the invention has been made, in particular:

(a)     the economic importance of the invention and the conditions under which the significant profit has been made;

(b)     the nature of the employee’s tasks, his salary and any other advantages he draws or has drawn from his employment, his inventive task or the invention;

(c)     the personal efforts and know-how of the employee involved in making the invention;

(d)     the efforts and know-how of any other person involved jointly with those of the employee concerned and any assistance and advice given by other employees who do not themselves enjoy the capacity of inventor;

(e)     the employer’s contribution to the making, development and industrial and commercial exploitation of the invention;

(f)     the nature and size of the undertaking.

7. Notwithstanding the Law of March 9, 1987 relating to (1) the organization of technological research and development in the public sector and (2) transfer of technology and scientific and technical cooperation between undertakings and the public sector, the provisions of this Article shall also apply to servants of the State, local authorities, public establishments and all public law legal persons.

8. For the purposes of this Article, patent means any title of protection for an invention granted to the employer and having effect either in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg or in one or more foreign countries.

9. Where not already provided for by the preceding paragraphs, a Grand-Ducal regulation may lay down measures to implement this Article.

Patent Applications by Persons not Entitled

Art. 14.—1. If a patent has been sought for an invention that has been obtained from the inventor or from his successors in title either in violation of a statutory obligation or a contractual obligation, the injured party may claim his right to obtain a patent.

On pain of inadmissibility, the filing of a petition to the Court shall be entered in the Register. The final decision with regard to the petition or the relinquishment of the petition shall also be entered.

2. If by a final decision it is adjudged that a person referred to in Article 12.1, other than the applicant, is entitled to the grant of a patent, that person may, within a period of three months after the decision has become final, provided that the patent has not yet been granted:

(a)     prosecute the application as his own application in place of the applicant;

(b)     file a new application in respect of the same invention and

(c)     request that the application be refused.

3. The implementing instructions under this Article shall be laid down by Grand-Ducal regulation.

Claim to the Right of a Patent

Art. 15.—1. If a patent has been granted to a person not entitled thereto under Article 12.1, the person entitled thereto under that Article may, without prejudice to all other rights and actions, claim transfer of the capacity of owner.

2. Where a person is entitled to a part of the patent only, he may claim, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1, the transfer of the patent in the capacity of joint owner.

3. The rights referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 may be exercised before the Court only within a period of two years as from the date on which the notice relating to the grant of the patent has been published in the Mémorial. This provision shall not apply if the holder of the patent knew at the time of grant or acquisition of the patent that he was not entitled to the patent.

4. The filing of a petition to the Court shall be entered in the Register. The final decision on the petition to the Court or the relinquishment of the petition shall also be entered.

Effects of Change in Ownership of the Patent

Art. 16.—1. Where the ownership of a patent has been integrally changed following a petition to the Court under Article 15, the licenses and other rights shall lapse on entry of the entitled person in the Register.

2. If, prior to entry of the petition to the Court,

(a)     the owner of the patent has exploited the invention or made effective and serious preparation to that end or if

(b)     the holder of a license has obtained and has exploited the invention on Luxembourg territory or has made effective and serious preparation to that end,

he may continue such exploitation subject to requesting a non-exclusive license from the new owner entered in the Register. In order to do so, he shall have a two-month period as from the court decision in the case referred to under (a) and of four months as from entry of the decision in the Register in the case referred to in (b). The license shall be granted for a reasonable period under reasonable conditions.

3. Paragraph 2 shall not apply if the owner of the patent or the holder of the license had acted in bad faith at the time of beginning exploitation or of the preparations made to that end.

Right of the Inventor to be Mentioned

Art. 17. The inventor shall have the right, vis-à-vis the owner of the application or patent, to be mentioned as such before the Service. The inventor may oppose disclosure of his identity.

Filing of the Patent Application

Art. 18.—1. Any person who wishes to obtain a patent shall be required to file an application in conformity with the statutory and regulatory provisions.

2. The filing of the required elements shall be made with the Service which shall issue a receipt by affixing a stamp showing the date of receipt of the element on an authentic copy thereof, without prejudice to Articles 20 and 28.

Requirements of the Patent Application

Art. 19.—1. A patent application shall contain:

(a)     a request for the grant of a patent;

(b)     a description of the invention;

(c)     one or more claims;

(d)     any drawings referred to in the description or the claims;

(e)     an abstract.

2. A patent application shall be subject to the payment of the filing fee and the publication fee; these fees shall be paid at the latest one month after the filing of the application.

3. The application shall also satisfy the statutory and regulatory conditions and, in particular, be supplemented by

(a)     a translation into French or German of the claims where the latter are not drafted in the French, German or Luxembourg languages;

(b)     where appropriate, the priority declaration referred to in Article 27;

(c)     the designation of the inventor;

(d)     where appropriate, the declaration that the inventor is opposed to disclosure of his identity in accordance with Article 17;

(e)     at the request of the Service, a declaration stating the origin of the right to the patent if the applicant is not the inventor or not the sole inventor;

(f)     where appropriate, the declaration and attestation referred to in Article 7.2;

(g)     proof of payment of the fees referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article.

4. During the whole duration of the procedure before the Service, the translation of the elements referred to in paragraph 3(a) may be made to conform with the original wording.

5. A Grand-Ducal the regulation may provide that the patent application be supplemented by a translation into the French or German languages within a period to be laid down in the same Grand-Ducal regulation where the elements referred to in paragraph 1 are not drafted in the Luxembourg language.

Filing Date

Art. 20. The date of filing of an application shall be the date on which the documents filed by the applicant contain:

(a)     an indication that a patent is sought;

(b)     information identifying the applicant;

(c)     a description and one or more claims drafted in the French, German, English or Luxembourg languages.

Unity of Invention

Art. 21.—1. The patent application shall relate to one invention only or to a group of inventions so linked as to form a single general inventive concept.

2. The preceding paragraph shall be understood to permit, in particular, the inclusion in one and the same patent application:

(a)     in addition to an independent claim for a product, of an independent claim for a process specially designed for the manufacture of that product and an independent claim for the use of that product or,

(b)     in addition to an independent claim for a process, of an independent claim for a device or means specially designed for the implementation of the process or,

(c)     in addition to an independent claim for a product, of an independent claim for a process designed especially for the manufacture of such product and an independent claim for a device or means specially designed for the implementation of that process.

Disclosure of the Invention

Art. 22.—1. The patent application must disclose the invention in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for it to be carried out by a person skilled in the art.

2. If an invention concerns the use of a microorganism which is not available to the public, the description shall not be deemed to disclose the invention satisfactorily unless a culture of the microorganism has been deposited with a body empowered thereto by Ministerial regulation.

The Claims

Art. 23. The claims shall define the matter for which protection is sought. They shall be clear and concise and be supported by the description.

Drawings

Art. 24. Drawings shall be provided where they are necessary for the comprehension of the invention.

The Abstract

Art. 25. The abstract shall merely serve for use as technical information; it may not be taken into account for any other purpose, in particular not for the purpose of interpreting the scope of the protection sought nor for the purpose of applying Article 6.3.

Priority Right

Art. 26.—1. A person who has duly filed in or for any State party to the Paris Convention or the Agreement Establishing the WTO, including the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, an application for a patent or for the registration of a utility model or for a utility certificate or for a certificate of invention, or his successors in title, shall enjoy, for the purpose of filing a patent application in respect of the same invention, a right of priority during a period of 12 months from the date of filing of the first application.

2. Every filing that is equivalent to a regular filing under the national law of the State where it was made or under bilateral or multilateral reciprocity agreements concluded with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg shall be recognized as giving rise to a right of priority.

3. By a regular filing is meant any filing that is sufficient to establish the date on which the application was filed, particularly any filing that satisfies the conditions of Article 20 of this Law, whatever the outcome of the application concerned by such filing.

4. A subsequent application for the same subject matter as a previous first application and filed in or in respect of the same State, including the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, shall be considered as the first application for the purposes of determining priority, provided that, at the date of filing of the subsequent application, the previous application has been withdrawn, abandoned or refused, without being open to public inspection and without leaving any rights outstanding, and has not served as a basis for claiming a right of priority. The application may not thereafter serve as a basis for claiming a right of priority.

5. Where two patents have been granted for the same invention to the same inventor or to his successor in title with the same filing date or priority date, respectively, the patent resulting from the earlier application shall cease to have effect as from the date on which the patent resulting from the application for which the priority right is claimed has been granted. The patent that lapses shall not be reinstated if the subsisting patent is affected by revocation or if it is annulled.

Claiming Priority

Art. 27.—1. An applicant for a patent desiring to take advantage of the priority of a previous application shall file a declaration and a copy of the previous application in accordance with the conditions and time limits to be laid down by Grand-Ducal regulation.

2. Multiple priorities may be claimed in respect of a patent application, notwithstanding the fact that they originated in different States. Where appropriate, multiple priorities may be claimed for any one claim.

Where multiple priorities are claimed, time limits which run from the date of priority shall run from the earliest date of priority.

3. If one or more priorities are claimed in respect of a patent application, the right of priority shall cover only those elements of the patent application which are included in the application or applications whose priority is claimed.

4. If certain elements of the invention for which priority is claimed do not appear among the claims formulated in the previous application, priority may nonetheless be granted, provided that the documents of the previous application as a whole specifically disclose such elements.

Effect of Priority Right

Art. 28. The right of priority shall have the effect that the date of priority shall count as the date of filing of the application for the purposes of Article 6.2 and 3 and Article 12.2.

Registration of the Application

Art. 29. If an application satisfies the requirements for the accordance of a date of filing, the Service shall effect its registration and shall draw up a filing certificate. If the application does not satisfy those requirements, the Service shall declare the application to be non-admissible and shall inform the applicant thereof.

Regularization of the Application—Sanction

Art. 30.—1. If a filing date has been accorded to an application without, however, the application meeting the other statutory or regulatory provisions, the owner of the application shall be invited without delay by the Service to regularize the application unless he has already announced in writing his intention to carry out such regularization.

2. Failure to send or receive the regularization notices by the Service shall not exclude the need to regularize within the time limits laid down by law and may not be invoked by the applicant either before the Court or in respect of the Service.

3. Each regularization operation shall be subject to payment of a fee.

4. If the elements referred to in Article 19.3(a) and (g) are not handed to the Service within one month as from the filing of the patent application, the latter shall be deemed to have been withdrawn.

5. Failure to comply with the requirements concerning the claim to a priority right within the time limits laid down in the regulation referred to in Article 27 shall entail the loss of that right for the application.

6. Where the omission of the designation of the inventor is not remedied within 16 months after the date of filing of the application or, if priority is claimed, after the date of priority, the application shall be deemed to be withdrawn.

7. If the application makes reference to drawings and those drawings have not been filed on the date of filing of the application, the filing date of the application shall be the date on which the drawings are filed or the date on which the references to drawings in the application are deemed to have been deleted, according to the choice exercised by the applicant.

8. In all other cases of failure to produce the required elements to support an application within the time limit prescribed by law or within four months as from the date of filing of the application, the application shall be refused, on a proposal by the Service, by Ministerial order.

Divisional Applications

Art. 31.—1. The owner of a patent application shall have the faculty of dividing up his application on his own initiative and irreversibly by filing one or more divisional applications and by limiting the protection afforded by the initial application in a corresponding manner if he himself or the body responsible for drawing up the search report holds that the patent application does not satisfy the requirement of unity of invention referred to in Article 21. This faculty shall be suspended during the period running from the filing of the request for the drawing up of a search report and the transmission of the search report to the owner of the patent application.

The protection afforded by the initial application shall be limited by deleting one or more claims, sentences in the description or figures in the drawings or, exceptionally, by amending the claims, description or the drawings in accordance with Article 37.

Where a patent has been granted which does not satisfy the requirement of unity of invention referred to in Article 21 and the deficiency is determined by the Court at the request of another party, the patent owner shall be required to file one or more divisional applications, failing which he shall definitively lose the rights not directly related to the main subject matter of the patent.

Except in the case of determination by the Court at the request of another party, a divisional application may no longer be filed after expiry of the fourth month after the accomplishment of the acts referred to in Article 37.1(b). In the case of a court determination, the divisional application or applications shall be filed prior to expiry of the fourth month as from exhaustion of the means of appeal.

2. Divisional applications may be filed only for elements which do not go beyond the initial application as filed. Insofar as this provision is complied with, the divisional applications shall enjoy the filing date of the initial application and, where appropriate, of the priority right.

3. The filing of a divisional application shall be subject to payment of the fees required for the filing of a patent application and to the fees that are due again by reason of the annual fees that have fallen due since the filing date of the initial application. The fees applied shall be in those in force at the time of the filing of the divisional application.

4. A request for the drawing up of a search report shall be made for each divisional application. The request is to be presented within a period of seven years as from the filing date of the initial application. However, if the divisional application is filed after that period of time, the request shall be presented on the same date as the filing of the divisional application failing which the divisional application shall not be admissible.

Withdrawal of the Application

Art. 32.—1. The owner of a patent application may at any time withdraw his application. Withdrawal shall be declared in writing to the Service by the owner of the patent application and shall have effect only after entry in the Register. A notice of the withdrawal shall be published in the Mémorial, Recueil administratif et économique.

2. Notwithstanding Article 26.3, withdrawal shall imply the loss of the rights deriving from the patent application.

3. The withdrawal shall be entered in the Register only with the consent of any person enjoying a property right entered in the Register or in whose name an entry has been made under Article 14.1. If a license has been entered in the Register, withdrawal shall be entered only if the owner of the application proves that he has informed his licensee beforehand of his intention to renounce.

Public Inspection

Art. 33.—1. The file of the patent application shall be open to public inspection ex officio on expiry of a period of 18 months as from the filing of the application or, where priority is claimed, as from the priority date.

However, the file of the patent application may be made public prior to expiry of such time limit at the request of the applicant. Such request shall not be admissible if presented prior to expiry of a period of two months as from the filing of the patent application, if it is not accompanied by evidence of payment of the relevant administrative fee or if the patent application is in the process of regularization for any reason whatsoever in implementation of the provisions of Article 30.

2. Where the inventor opposes under Article 17 the disclosure of his identity, the relevant declaration, together with the document designating the inventor, shall remain closed to public inspection.

3. Those files of patent applications shall not be open to public inspection in accordance withparagraph 1 which, on expiry of the prescribed time limit or at the time of filing of the request referred to in those provisions, have been declared inadmissible, have been deemed withdrawn, have been declared refused by Ministerial order or have been the subject matter of a declaration of withdrawal entered in the Register. The same shall apply to patent applications to which secrecy has been applied under the Law of July 8, 1967 until the secrecy is lifted.

4. The opening of a file of a patent application to public inspection shall be entered in the Register and shall be published in the Mémorial, Recueil administratif et économique.

Observations by Third Parties

Art. 34.—1. As from the date on which the file of a patent application is opened to public inspection and up to the date on which the patent is granted, any third party may address written observations to the Service concerning the patentability of the invention that is the subject matter of the patent application.

2. The observations shall be transmitted to the applicant who may comment thereon within a period of four months as from the transmission of the observations. The comments of the applicant shall be communicated to the other party.

Documentary Searching

Art. 35.—1. The applicant for a patent shall be required, failing which his application shall be deemed to be refused, to submit within a period of seven years as from the filing date of his application or under the conditions set out in Article 31:

(a)     either a request for the drawing up of a search report by a body to be designated by Grand-Ducal order;

(b)     or one or more search reports drawn up by a body designated by Grand-Ducal order where such reports are based on one or more patent applications or similar industrial property titles

(i)     of which the priority or priorities are claimed in the application for the Luxembourg patent or

(ii)     which claim the same priority or priorities as the application for the Luxembourg patent or

(iii)     which claim the priority of the application for a Luxembourg patent,

accompanied by a certified copy of such patent applications or similar industrial property title, in the case of foreign or regional applications, together with a translation of such applications in those cases prescribed by the Grand-Ducal regulation;

(c)     or a search report drawn up by a body designated by Grand-Ducal order where such report is based directly on the content of the application for a Luxembourg patent, that is the subject matter of the search.

2. The search report referred to in paragraph 1(a) shall be drawn up on the basis of the claims, in their final version, taking into account the description and, where appropriate, the drawings annexed thereto. It shall list the elements of the prior art that may be taken into consideration for assessing the novelty of the invention that is the subject matter of the patent application and the inventive step.

3. The search reports referred to in paragraph 1 shall be accepted in the French, German or English languages or shall be accompanied by a translation into one of those three languages.

4. The applicant shall be dispensed from submitting the elements referred to above if the application has been the subject matter of an intervention by another party under Article 36.

5. The request for the drawing up of a search report shall not be admissible unless accompanied by evidence of payment of the search fees, unless it satisfies the other requirements of this Law or if the patent application is in the process of regularization for any reason whatsoever under the provisions ofArticle 30.

6. The body shall draw up a search report on that part of the patent application that concerns the main subject matter of the claims and on those parts of the patent application for which the required additional search fees have been paid within the prescribed time limit. Those parts of the patent application for which additional search fees have not been paid within the prescribed time limit shall be deemed to have been withdrawn unless they are the subject matter of divisional applications underArticle 31. The request for the drawing up of the search report shall refer to the elements referred to inparagraph 1(b) or (c) to be submitted by the owner of the patent application and shall identify those parts of the patent application to which the elements thus mentioned refer.

Request for Search Submitted by Another Party

Art. 36.—1. As from the date on which the file relating to the patent application is opened for public inspection and up to expiry of a period of seven years as from the filing date of the application, other parties shall be entitled to file requests, under conditions to be laid down by Grand-Ducal regulation, for the drawing up of a search report within the meaning of the preceding Article where the applicant has not complied with that Article.

2. Action by another party under paragraph 1 shall be communicated to the owner of the patent application who shall receive a copy of the search report thus drawn up and who shall alone remain entitled to avail himself of the faculty provided in Article 37.

Amendment of Claims, Description and Drawings

Art. 37.—1. The owner of an application shall be entitled to make amendments to the claims, the description and the drawing,

(a)     until the filing of the request for the drawing up of a search report or until receipt by the Service of the elements referred to in Article 35.1(b) or (c),

(b)     following receipt by the Service of the elements referred to in Article 35.1(b) or (c) or following transmission to the owner of the patent application of the search report requested by himself or by another party in accordance with Articles 35 and 36,

(c)     in the case of the filing of a divisional application.

2. A patent application may not be amended in such a way that it contains subject matter which extends beyond the content of the application as filed.

3. The right to make amendments provided by this Article shall include the right to adapt the title of the invention and the abstract and the right to file a brief commentary.

4. In the cases referred to in paragraph 1(b) and (c), the right of amendment shall be exercised within four months as from the acts referred to therein.

5. Each amendment shall be subject to the payment of a fee.

6. The time limit afforded in accordance with paragraph 4 may in no case extend beyond the expiry of the fourth month as from the accomplishment of the acts referred to in paragraph 1(b).

Search with Regard to an Invention Concerning Defense

Art. 38.—1. If the lifting of secrecy, with respect to a patent application placed under secrecy in accordance with the Law of July 8, 1967, occurs more than six years after the filing date, the obligations referred to in Article 35 shall be satisfied within a period of 12 months as from the date of the lifting of secrecy.

2. The right of intervention by other parties as set out in Article 36 shall be exercised within the period of time laid down in paragraph 1. Articles 34 and 37 shall apply.

Regularization Concerning the Search Report

Art. 39.—1. If the request for the drawing up of a search report cannot be prosecuted within the body designated by Grand-Ducal order due to the temporary exclusion of search activities in given fields of technology and if the body decides in such case not to carry out the search, the Service shall transmit to the applicant the relevant decision of the body that shall replace the search report for the purpose of granting a patent.

2. If the body responsible for drawing up the search report considers

(a)     that the description, the claims or the drawings do not satisfy the prescribed conditions to such an extent that no significant search can be carried out or

(b)     that the patent application concerns a subject matter that does not correspond to the concept of invention or does not constitute patentable matter or with respect to which it is not required, for other reasons, to carry out a search,

and declares that a search report will not be drawn up, the Service shall transmit the relevant declaration to the applicant to whom it shall afford a period of four months to correct any defective elements in the patent application in accordance with Article 37 and shall renew the request for the drawing up of a search report.

If, after renewal of the request for the drawing up of a search report, the body does not consider itself in a position to change its conclusions with regard to the patent application, as corrected a first time, the applicant may file a petition by which he requests the immediate grant of a patent together with a brief justification for his petition. The petition shall be admissible only on condition that it is filed prior to expiry of the new time limit afforded by the Service under paragraph 1 on condition, however, that this new time limit expires later than the expiry of a time limit to be laid down by Grand-Ducal regulation or, failing that, later than the expiry of the time limit referred to in Article 35.1.

In the case referred to in paragraph 2, the service may propose to the Minister that a patent should not be granted, giving its reasons therefor. The conditions for implementing the provisions of this paragraph together with the conditions for the reasoned opinion shall be laid down by Grand-Ducal regulation.

3. If the same conclusions result from the elements referred to in Article 35.1(b) or (c), the Service shall act in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 and 2, respectively.

4. If the Service ascertains that the request for the drawing up of a search report referred to inArticle 35.1(a) does not satisfy the requirements of the Regulations, it shall afford the requester a period of four months in order to meet those requirements.

If the Service ascertains that the elements submitted under Article 35.1(b) or (c) do not meet the requirements of this Law or of its Regulations, it shall inform the owner of the patent application thereof and afford him a period of four months to regularize the aforementioned elements or to submit a request for the drawing up of a search report as referred to in Article 35.1(a).

5. The period of time afforded by the Service under the preceding paragraphs may extend beyond the expiry of the time limit laid down in Article 35.1. If the owner of the patent application does not comply with the invitation by the Service within the afforded time limit, the grant of a patent shall be refused by Ministerial order. However, if at the date of expiry of the time limit afforded by the Service the time limit under Article 35.1 has not yet expired, only the request for the drawing up of a search report and the elements referred to in Article 35.1(b) or (c) shall be refused, respectively. Where appropriate, the search fees shall be refunded after deduction of the costs incurred on account of the refund.

Restitutio in integrum

Art. 40.—1. The owner of a patent application or of a patent who, in spite of all due care required by the circumstances having been taken, was unable to observe a time limit vis-à-vis the Service shall, upon application, have his rights re-established if the non-observance in question has the direct consequence, by virtue of the law, of causing the refusal of the patent application or of a request or the deeming of the patent application to have been withdrawn or the revocation of the patent or the loss of any other right or means of redress.

2. The application must be filed in writing within two months from the removal of the cause of non-compliance with the time limit. The omitted act must be completed within this period. The application shall only be admissible within the year immediately following the expiry of the unobserved time limit.

3. The application must state the grounds on which it is based and must set out the facts on which it relies. It shall not be deemed to be filed until after the fee for re-establishment of rights, laid down by Grand-Ducal order, has been paid.

4. A decision on the application shall be taken by Ministerial order of which a notice shall be entered in the Register and published in the Mémorial, Recueil administratif et économique.

5. The provisions of this Article shall not be applicable to the time limits referred to in paragraph 2 and inArticle 19.2, to the time limits afforded for filing a new application in accordance with Article 14.2, the filing of a patent application claiming the priority of an earlier application for the same invention underArticle 26.1 or the filing of a divisional application under Article 31, nor to the time limits afforded for making payment of the fees relating to such filings.