Patent
Belgium is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The deadline for entering the national phase via the PCT is 31 months. The term of patent protection is 20 years. Objections to the examination report can be filed within a total of 90 days. The Benelux system covers only trademarks and designs. Within the Benelux, the i-DEPOT service is used, which allows any idea, concept, invention or written work to be recorded. i-DEPOT protection lasts 5 years and can be renewed every 5 years.
Utility model
The term of utility model protection is 15 years. The terms and requirements are the same as for patents.