A patent is valid in the particular country in which it is granted and for a certain period of time, generally 20 years from the date of filing the patent application.
A WO patent is granted by the World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO. The prefix WO, which is short for WIPO, indicates that the patent will be administered by this body. In general, the protection conferred on an invention by patent law will only extend to the country or territory in which it is patented.
Country codes CCName VN Vietnam WO World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) YU Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) ZA South Africa92 more rows
In 2022, China had the most patents in force worldwide with about 4.2 million patents in force. The United States had the second most patents in force, amounting to roughly 3.3 million, followed by Japan with around two million.
Intellectual property ( IP ) rights are territorial. They only give protection in the countries where they are granted or registered. If you only have UK protection, others may be allowed to use your IP abroad without infringing your rights.
Although the WO designation itself does not confer patent rights, it simplifies the process by offering a common standard across the 184 PCT member countries, including the U.S., China, and European nations​.
Is a patent valid in every country? Patents are territorial rights. In general, the exclusive rights are only applicable in the country or region in which a patent has been filed and granted, in ance with the law of that country or region.
Since the rights granted by a U.S. patent extend only throughout the territory of the United States and have no effect in a foreign country, an inventor who wishes patent protection in other countries must apply for a patent in each of the other countries or in regional patent offices.
Utility patent application: may be filed by anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.