Patent
Australia is a party to the international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The PCT national phase deadline is 30 months. The invention is published after 18 months. A request for examination must be filed within 60 days of publication. A certified English translation of the specification is required. For patent applications filed under the international PCT treaty, a document showing the changes made to the original file (translation statement) must be submitted. Patents can be converted into utility models before publication, but they cannot later be converted back into patents. Annuities (annual fees) become payable from the 5th year after the PCT filing date.
Utility model
The requirements are the same as for a patent application. The total term of protection is 10 years.