LIGJI NR. 08/L-059 PËR PATENTAT

This is the preamble to the Law on Patents of the Republic of Kosovo.

This article says the law sets the conditions and procedures for patent registration, and the rights that arise from registration and enforcement of those rights.

This article says the law applies to subjects going through the registration procedure to obtain a patent at the Industrial Property Agency, including patents and international patent registrations valid in Kosovo.

This article defines key terms used in the patents law.

Patent applications may be filed by one or more natural or legal persons, and non-citizens or unregistered businesses in Kosovo have equal patent protection; non-citizens may act in API procedures only through authorized representatives under Article 126.

This article says API is the executive agency responsible for industrial property matters and lists its main tasks; the Ministry must issue a bylaw on the agency logo.

Appeals against API decisions may be filed within 30 days, first to the Commission and then to the competent court against the Commission’s decision.

A patent is granted for any invention in any field of technology if it is novel, involves an inventive step, and is industrially applicable.

A patent issued for an invention must meet the listed patentability conditions for biotech inventions.

Ky nen liston shpikjet dhe lëndët për të cilat patenta nuk lëshohet.

The human body and its discovered parts are not patentable inventions, but isolated or technically produced elements may be patentable, and the industrial application of a gene sequence must be disclosed in a patent application.

An invention is new only if it is not part of prior knowledge, and prior knowledge includes information made available to the public worldwide before the patent filing date.

A prior disclosure of an invention will not be counted if it happened within 6 months before the patent application and arose from obvious abuse or from an official/recognized international exhibition.

An invention counts as novel if it is not known to a person skilled in the field, taking prior knowledge into account.

An invention counts as industrially applicable if its subject matter can be produced or used in any kind of industry, including agriculture.

A request for an invention may be treated as secret if it concerns state interests like national defense or state security. The competent authority sets the criteria and procedure for secret inventions by a special act.

Applications about certain secret inventions must be sent by the API to the competent authority, and the competent authority decides how the procedure continues.

Autoriteti kompetent ka të drejtë ekskluzive të përdorë shpikjen sekrete, ndërsa shpikësi ka të drejtë për kompensim.

Nëse Autoriteti kompetent vendos që shpikja nuk është më sekrete, ai ia dorëzon dosjen API-së. Me kërkesë të aplikuesit, API-ja fillon ose përfundon procedurën e dhënies së patentës për atë shpikje.

Domestic natural and legal persons may request protection of a secret invention abroad only with authorization from the competent authority.

This article says who owns a patent right: the inventor, joint inventors, or in some employment/commissioned-work cases the customer or employer. It also gives the employee a right to compensation in one employment-invention case.

Inventor means the person who created the invention during creative work; someone who only gave technical help is not considered an inventor.

The inventor has a moral right to be named as the inventor in the patent application, related patent-grant documents, and the patent registers; that moral right cannot be transferred.

The patent owner has exclusive rights to stop third parties from making, selling, using, exporting, importing, or storing the patented product or certain products made by a patented process.

This article extends patent-exclusive rights to certain biological materials, processes, and genetic-information products that meet the stated conditions.

Patent protection is determined by the patent claims, and the description and drawings are used to interpret those claims.

Patent rights do not apply to certain private, research, pharmacy, and transit-related uses.

A prior user may keep using the invention in Kosovo without the patent owner’s consent, but only to the extent already used or seriously prepared before the filing or priority date.

Article 28 limits patent exclusive rights for certain biological material and gives farmers use rights in specified agricultural settings.

Exclusive patent rights are treated as exhausted when the patented product is placed on the Kosovo market by the patent owner or with the owner’s consent, subject to any other legal grounds allowing further restriction.

A patent may be transferred to other persons.

Kjo dispozitë thotë se licenca e patentës mund të mbulojë gjithë ose vetëm një pjesë të territorit, mund të jetë ekskluzive ose jo-ekskluzive, dhe pronari i patentës mund të kërkojë kthimin e të drejtave nëse licencuari shkel kushtet e kontratës së licencës.

A patent may be used as security or be the subject of a pledge, and related rights can be registered and published on request.

A patent may be subject to enforcement, and the enforcement authority must notify the API ex officio so the enforcement can be recorded and published.

If a patent holder enters bankruptcy or similar proceedings, the matter must be recorded in the register and published in the official API bulletin. The registration request must be submitted under the conditions and manner set by a subordinate act issued by the Minister.

A compulsory license is granted by a competent court decision, and the plaintiff must present all relevant facts and necessary evidence in court.

The court may grant a compulsory patent license in several situations, including non-use, public-interest emergencies, or certain anti-competitive cases, and can also revoke rights in some cases.

A compulsory license is non-exclusive, limited to its purpose, tied to the workshop where the invention is used, and generally not transferable. The patent owner is entitled to compensation, and a court may cancel the license if the original reasons no longer exist.

Gjykata may grant a compulsory patent license for pharmaceutical products intended for export to importing countries with public health problems.

This article sets the procedure for applying for a compulsory licence for pharmaceutical patents intended for export.

This article sets conditions for a compulsory licence for pharmaceutical patents used to export products to countries with public health problems.

The court must let the applicant fix defects in the application and present their arguments before refusing a mandatory license request.

Rregulli lejon bartësin e së drejtës ose të licencuarin të kërkojë në gjykatë ndërprerjen ose ndryshimin e licencës së detyrueshme, dhe i jep gjykatës rol për të vendosur afate dhe për të trajtuar kërkesat me procedurë të përshpejtuar në disa raste.

Gjykata duhet të njoftojë Këshillin TRIPS për vendimin e licencës së detyrueshme dhe kushtet e saj, si edhe për ndërprerjen ose modifikimin e licencës.

Importing certain products made under a compulsory license is prohibited in Kosovo, except for specified re-export and transit/customs-storage situations.

Dogana mund të ndalojë produkte të dyshuara për shkelje, t’i kontrollojë, t’i konfiskojë nëse konfirmohet shkelja, dhe t’i lirojë nëse nuk ka shkelje.

Small imports in travelers’ personal luggage, for personal non-commercial use, are outside the scope of Articles 44 and 45 within the stated customs-duty limits.

The API must keep the listed patent-related registers, and the Minister determines their contents and how they are kept by subordinate act. The registers are public.

Fees for obtaining and maintaining a patent and supplementary certificate must be paid on time; the Ministry sets the amounts by subordinate act.

Patent applications are filed with the API, in the official languages of Kosovo unless this law or an international agreement says otherwise.

A patent application must include specified content and supporting documents.

The patent filing date is the date the applicant submits the listed documents, and applications with a filing date are entered in the patent application register kept by API.

On request by the applicant, the API must issue a priority certificate. The priority right is acquired on the filing date of the patent application. The Minister sets the certificate’s conditions, procedure, and content by subordinate act.

A patent application may cover more than one invention only when the inventions are technically linked and form a single inventive concept.

Patent application requests must be filed on the prescribed form and include the request, invention title, applicant details, and inventor details; if the inventor does not want to be named, they must submit a written declaration to API within 2 months of filing.

Patent applications must clearly and fully disclose the invention so that a person skilled in the field can carry it out.

Patent claims define the subject matter to be protected and must be clear, concise, and supported by the invention description.

The abstract is for technical information only and is not to be used for other purposes.

An applicant or the API may split a patent application into two or more separate applications, but the split matter must stay within the content of the original application.

A patent application with a filing date cannot later be broadened beyond the scope of protection originally applied for.

On request, the API issues a registration decision for certain changes, and those recorded changes are published in the API’s Official Bulletin.

Formal errors in patent documents filed with the API may be corrected on written request by the patent applicant or owner, and the API may also notify such correction after the fee under Article 48 is paid.

If the same invention was made independently by two or more inventors, the applicant with the earlier filing date has priority in recognition of the patent right.

Personat fizikë ose juridikë, ose trashëgimtarët e tyre ligjorë, mund të kërkojnë të drejtën e përparësisë për patentë në Kosovë brenda 12 muajve nga aplikimi i parë, nëse plotësohen kushtet e përcaktuara.

A patent applicant may request multiple priority based on earlier applications in one or more Paris Union or WTO member states, subject to Article 63 conditions.

When priority is claimed for a patent application, the priority right covers only the invention elements disclosed in the first application(s); unclaimed elements may still qualify if they can be verified from the application as a whole.

The priority right’s recognition date is treated as the filing date of the patent application in API.

The patent applicant may ask to restore a priority right, but must file the request within 2 months after the priority period expires and meet the stated conditions.

The patent applicant may request correction or completion of the priority claim within the stated time limits, but the fee must be paid and the request is barred after a publication request unless that publication request was withdrawn in time.

API-ja shqyrton nëse aplikimi i plotëson kërkesat; nëse mungojnë elemente dhe data e dorëzimit nuk mund të caktohet, API-ja e fton aplikuesin t’i plotësojë mangësitë brenda 2 muajve, dhe mund të refuzojë aplikimin nëse nuk ka përgjigje.

API must formally examine patent applications and may require missing documents or allow corrections within set deadlines.

If the application is missing part of the description or drawings, API must notify the applicant to complete it within 2 months; if filed in time, the missing material is added to the application and its filing date is the date API received it.

Patent registration applications are reviewed to check whether they meet the listed conditions.

If a patent application does not meet the registration conditions, API must notify the applicant in writing, invite a written response within 2 months, and may extend that period by 2 more months on request.

If the patent application meets the stated requirements, the API must decide on recognition of the patent right and register the patent; the applicant must pay the listed fees, and the decision is issued after 18 months or earlier priority date if applicable.

The patent office publishes the registered patent after the patent-right decision is made. The applicant may ask for that decision and publication earlier, but only after three months from filing (or from the earlier priority date) and only if the extra fee has been paid.

Pronari i patentës ka të drejtë të marrë certifikatën e patentës pasi të jetë lëshuar vendimi.

Patent owners are to receive the patent specification after the decision is issued, and the Ministry issues a subordinate act on its content and form.

The patent owner must file written evidence with API and pay the decision fee within the stated deadlines; if the patent recognition procedure is still unfinished, the applicant must notify API and API may extend the deadline by up to three months.

Nëse pronari i patentës nuk dorëzon dëshmitë sipas nenit 78, patenta skadon; API-ja mund të nxjerrë vendime për vlefshmërinë e shpikjes, t’i njoftojë pronarin dhe të kërkojë komente brenda 2 muajve.

An applicant or patent owner who missed a deadline despite due care may ask to restore the patent right, but must do so within the stated time limits and meet the listed conditions.

Aplikuesi ose pronari i patentës may request continuation of the patent procedure if missed obligations caused loss of patent-related rights, subject to paying the fee and meeting the stated conditions.

A patent lasts 20 years from the date the application is filed.

Annual patent fees start in year 3 and continue each year after filing. If the owner misses payment, there is a 6-month extra period with an additional fee. If maintenance fees are not paid, the patent expires the day after the payment deadline.

This article defines terms used for supplementary protection certificates for medicines and plant protection products.

This article sets when a certificate is issued, when it starts, how long it can last, and who decides its duration.

A certificate is issued on the base patent owner’s request, when the listed conditions are met.

Applications for a certificate must be filed with the API within 6 months, with an alternative 6-month period if the authorization was granted before the base patent. The article also allows certain extension requests and sets a latest filing window of 2 years before certificate expiry.

An applicant for a certificate must file an application with the required details and documents; extension requests need extra supporting documents, and the application form is set by a ministerial subordinate act.

API must formally review certificate applications when they are submitted, and the applicant must fix any missing elements within one month after notice.

The API checks whether the listed conditions are met when examining an application and then grants or refuses the Certificate.

A certificate must include specified identifying and authorization details, including the holder’s name and address, patent number, invention title, market authorization details, and the certificate’s duration.

Data from the certificate are entered in the API Register, which is created under a subordinate act issued by the Minister.

This article limits the protection of the certificate and sets notice, form, labeling, and compliance duties for manufacturers.

API-ja must publish data about certificate applications, grant decisions, and application refusals. The Minister may set by subordinate act the data for certificate renewal applications and termination.

Certifikata vlen për periudhën e dhënë, por mund të përfundojë më herët në disa raste.

A certificate must be declared invalid or annulled if it was issued contrary to this law or if the base patent has ended, been invalidated, or been annulled.

A granted patent stops being effective if its protection term expires, the annual maintenance fee is not paid, it is surrendered/waived, or it is declared invalid.

Nëse nuk paguhet taksa vjetore e mirëmbajtjes së patentës, patenta përfundon kur skadon afati i pagesës; API nuk ka detyrim të njoftojë mbajtësin e së drejtës për afatin.

The patent owner may surrender the patent, in whole or in part, by written declaration. If third parties have a registered right over the patent, surrender is not allowed without their written consent. The surrender is then registered and published.

A patent ends when the owner dies, or when a legal person loses legal personality, unless the patent is transferred to an heir or legal successor.

Kërkesa për shpalljen e pavlefshmërisë së patentës duhet të paraqitet në API dhe të përfshijë disa të dhëna dhe prova të caktuara.

A patent is invalid if it was granted for non-patentable subject matter, for an insufficiently clear and complete invention disclosure, or for matter beyond the filed application.

Kushdo person fizik ose juridik mund të paraqesë deklaratë pavlefshmërie të patentës në çdo kohë gjatë mbrojtjes me patentë; API-ja mund ta nisë edhe sipas detyrës zyrtare.

If a patent invalidity request does not meet Article 101, API asks the applicant to fix the defects within 2 months; if not fixed, API refuses the request.

The API may declare a patent invalid, in whole or in part, or reject the request depending on whether the patent-grant requirements were met.

A patent decision may be revoked for the future before the patent term ends if the deposited biological material no longer exists or is no longer publicly available.

The cancellation procedure for a patent grant decision starts when a cancellation request is filed with the API.

Unpublished patent application material must not be made public without the applicant’s consent. Published patent application copies must be available on request, and the API may disclose certain application details before publication.

API must issue a Patent Register extract when a natural or legal person requests it and pays the relevant fee.

Patent protection under this provision may be requested by the patent right holder, an authorized person acting under general representation rules, or an exclusive license holder.

Nëse një patentë kërkohet nga dikush pa të drejtë, shpikësi ose trashëgimtari i tij mund të kërkojë caktimin e të drejtave. Në disa raste mund të kërkohet edhe regjistrimi i emrit të shpikësit dhe rifillimi i procedurës ose një aplikim i ri.

Shpikësi ka të drejtë të kërkojë që emri i tij të përmendet në aplikimin për patentë, në dokumentet përkatëse dhe në regjistrat e API-së kur është përmendur gabimisht ose nuk është përmendur fare.

Subjektet sipas nenit 110 mund të padisin për shkelje të patentës, për ndalimin e shkeljes, për shkelje të ardhshme, dhe edhe kundër ndërmjetësve. Gjykata, në disa raste, mund të japë kompensim në para në vend të masave.

Certain patent-right holders may sue an infringer to seek withdrawal, confiscation, or destruction of infringing products and related materials/tools, and the court must consider proportionality.

Subjektet kanë të drejtë të kërkojnë dëmshpërblim për shkelje të patentës, dhe gjykata mund të llogarisë edhe kompensim me shumë fikse ose kthim fitimesh në disa raste.

Eligible patent-right subjects may ask the court to publish the judgment finding full or partial infringement, at the infringer’s expense.

Në disa civil patent process-infringement raste, gjykata mund ta urdhërojë të paditurin të provojë se procesi i përdorur është i ndryshëm.

If a lawsuit concerns patent infringement, the court may suspend the proceedings until the API issues a decision under Article 79(2).

Patent-enforcement subjects may request information about the origin and distribution network of infringing products.

The court may order temporary measures to stop or prevent patent infringement, and it can also order related asset, goods, evidence, and confidentiality measures.

Gjykata mund të vendosë masa të përkohshme për ruajtjen e dëshmive në rast shkeljeje ose kërcënimi për shkelje të patentës.

Gjykata mund të urdhërojë ose ftojë paraqitjen e provave të specifikuara brenda një afati, duke mbrojtur informacionin konfidencial.

The court may suspend a patent-infringement procedure, and the API handles requests to cancel or invalidate a registered patent decision in expedited proceedings.

The competent court decides cases involving patent-right infringements under the applicable law.

Only a person registered in the representatives register may act before the API.

Foreign persons generally act through a registered representative with API, but may do certain patent-related acts themselves and must notify API of a correspondence address.

An authorized representative may represent parties in proceedings for registering industrial property objects, and three types of persons may qualify as authorized representatives.

This article sets fines for legal persons, responsible persons, and individual businesses that use patented products/services contrary to Articles 23 and 24, or exploit a licence contrary to Article 31.

Certain existing sublegal acts stay in force until new implementing acts are issued, as long as they do not conflict with this law.

The Ministry must issue subordinate regulations under the listed articles within 12 months after this law enters into force.

This provision repeals two patent laws when this act enters into force.

This article says the law takes effect 15 days after it is published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Kosovo.