Sri Lanka

The Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003 governs and deals with the mechanism of Patent Protection in Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka, Process Patent and Product Patent are the two types of Patent Protection.

The following are the types of Patent Applications:

• Convention Application
• PCT National Phase Application
• Divisional Application

The Patent of invention lasts for 20 years in Sri Lanka.

The Time Frame for Examination from the Date of Application is usually 1-3 months approximately and the Time Frame for Publication (at the Post-Grant stage) from the Date of Acceptance is minimum 36-48 months approximately.

In Sri Lanka, an Opposition against a Patent Application can be raised at the post-grant stage by Filing an Action for Nullity of the Patent in the Commercial High Court.