Patent
Austria is a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The PCT deadline is 30 months. The specification documents must be in German. If they are filed in another language, they must be translated into German within 3 months. Applicants from countries outside the European Union and the European Economic Area must appoint an attorney in Austria.
Utility model
Utility model applications can be filed. Until the application is published, a utility model can be converted into a patent, and vice versa. Utility model protection lasts 10 years. If no opposition has been filed within 6 months of the filing date, the Office issues a search report. By requesting an accelerated search report, this period can be reduced from 6 months to 3 months. Annuities become payable from the 4th year after the filing date.