Patents can generally be described as the right granted to an inventor by a State, or by regional office acting for several States, which allows the inventor to exclude anyone else from commercially exploiting his invention for a limited period, usually 20 years.

The Procedure for Patent Applications:

• Petition or request with applicants full name and address
• A specification which include applicants claim or claims in duplicate
• Plans or drawings in duplicate
• A declaration signed Power of Attorney
• Applicants address for service in country/region of filing
• Prescribed fee
• Other matters as may be required by the Registrar of Patents

Subsequently the Patent application, dependent on jurisdiction may or may not be, subjected to an examination process conducted by the Registrar of Patents.

Grant of Patent:
Once satisfied that the Patent application is in conformity with all statutory requirements the Registrar issues a document which states:

• The relevant number
• Name and domicile of the Patentee
• Dates of the patent application and grant
• Title of the invention and the period of its validity
• Number and date of application where priority is claimed
• Where appropriate name and address of true inventor
• Copy of specifications and a copy of relevant drawings and plans if any

After the grant of the Patent the Registrar enters the particulars of the grant in the Register and causes to be entered a Notification of the grant.
Rights Conferred by the Grant:
The right to preclude any other from doing the following:

1. In the case of a product patent, the right to prevent third parties without the owner’s consent from making, using, offering for sale, selling or importing for these purposes the product.
2. In the case of a process patent, the right to prevent third parties without the owner’s consent from using the process; and to prevent third parties from using, offering for sale, selling or importing for these purposes the products which were obtained directly by that process.

GRF PATENT SERVICES

• Conducting searches.
• Filing and prosecuting of patent applications or entering National Phase of PCT applications.
• Oppositions.
• Attending to recording of Assignment, Merger, Change of Name or Address.
• Attending to licensing and recordals.
• Undertaking and payment of annuities.
• Watching services.
• Litigation support and general advisory.

G.R.F. Patent services apply to the following regional schemes.

OAPI (African Intellectual Property Organization): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.