Patent Application

In case you have developed an invention in any field and if you’re looking to monetize and commercialize it, you can either license it to a business such as a manufacturer or a distributor or build your own start-up.

Before moving forward with your plans, you must file a patent application or use a nondisclosure agreement to temporarily protect any disclosed information. This agreement can cover 6-12 months depending on the country- until you file for a patent which provides exclusivity up to 20 years. Otherwise, you risk your invention getting stolen or becoming ineligible to be patented and protected by law.

Hence, a patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem.

Patented inventions have, in fact, pervaded every aspect of human life, from electric lighting where patents were held by Edison and Swan, to plastic where patents were held by Baekeland, to ballpoint pens where patents were held by Biro, and microprocessors where patents were held by Intel. 

Here are some general guidelines about the required step and documents to file for your patent in Egypt as per The Egyptian Patent Office website:

1. As the figure above demonstrates, start with filing the patent application, which includes a comprehensive summary of the invention in English and Arabic, as well as the technical description and background.
2. Include important visuals and engineering drawings that explain your invention. You need to put the claims of your invention, this helps in determining the extent of protection that the patent would provide.
3. Personal identification of the applicant or power of attorney if the applicant isn’t the inventor. In addition, a university or school id is required if the applicant is a student and the id of the legal guardian if the applicant is underage.
4. Then you fill out the application for meeting all the requirements
5. A certificate of temporary protection if applicable
6. A receipt of the application fees.

Additional documents which may be submitted within 4 months:

7. If the application includes materials that are biological, animal, medical, agricultural, artificial, or craft items or cultural or environmental heritage, documents that indicate that this material has been collected in a legitimate way are required.

For more information, visit the application guide from The Egyptian Patent Office here or visit the guide of The Academy of Scientific Research and Technology here. 
 
The guide is intended to provide general instructions on the subject matter. Specialist advice should be requested about your specific conditions.