第二十一条 国务院专利行政部门及其专利复审委员会应当按照客观、公正、准确、及时的要求,依法处理有关专利的申请和请求。

Article 21. The patent administration department under the State Council and its Patent Reexamination Board shall handle any patent application and patent-related request according to law and in conformity with the requirements for being objective, fair, correct and timely.

在专利申请公布或者公告前,国务院专利行政部门的工作人员及有关人员对其内容负有保密责任。

Until the publication or announcement of the application for a patent, staff members of the patent administration department under the State Council and other persons involved have the duty to keep its contents secret.

第二章 授予专利权的条件

Chapter II  Requirements for Grant of Patent Right

第二十二条 授予专利权的发明和实用新型,应当具备新颖性、创造性和实用性。

Article 22.  Any invention or utility model for which patent right may be granted must possess novelty, inventiveness and practical app1icability.

新颖性,是指在申请日以前没有同样的发明或者实用新型在国内外出版物上公开发表过、在国内公开使用过或者以其他方式为公众所知,也没有同样的发明或者实用新型由他人向国务院专利行政部门提出过申请并且记载在申请日以后公布的专利申请文件中。

Novelty means that, before the date of filing, no identical invention or utility model has been publicly disclosed in publications in the country or abroad or has been publicly used or made known to the public by any other means in the country, nor has any other person filed previously with the Patent Administration Department Under the State Council an application which described the identical invention or utility mode1 and was published after the said date of filing.

创造性,是指同申请日以前已有的技术相比,该发明有突出的实质性特点和显著的进步,该实用新型有实质性特点和进步。

Inventiveness means that, as compared with the technology existing before the date of filing, the invention has prominent substantive features and represents a notable progress and that the utility model has substantive features and represents progress.

实用性,是指该发明或者实用新型能够制造或者使用,并且能够产生积极效果。

Practical applicability means that the invention or utility model can be made or used and can produce effective results.

第二十三条 授予专利权的外观设计,应当同申请日以前在国内外出版物上公开发表过或者国内公开使用过的外观设计不相同和不相近似,并不得与他人在先取得的合法权利相冲突。

Article 23.  Any design for which patent right may be granted must not be identical with and simi1ar to any design which, before the date of filing, has been publicly disclosed in publications in the country or abroad or has been publicly used in the country, and must not be in conflict with any prior right of any other person.

第二十四条 申请专利的发明创造在申请日以前六个月内,有下列情形之一的,不丧失新颖性:

Article 24.  An invention-creation for which a patent is applied for does not lose its novelty where, within six months before the date of filing, one of the following events occurred:

(一)在中国政府主办或者承认的国际展览会上首次展出的;

(l) where it was first exhibited at an international exhibition sponsored or recognized by the Chinese Government;

(二)在规定的学术会议或者技术会议上首次发表的;

(2) where it was first made public at a prescribed academic or technological meeting;

(三)他人未经申请人同意而泄露其内容的。

(3) where it was disc1osed by any person without the consent of the applicant.

第二十五条 对下列各项,不授予专利权:

Article 25  For any of the following, no patent right shall be granted:

(一)科学发现;

(1) scientific discoveries;

(二)智力活动的规则和方法;

(2) rules and methods for mental activities;

(三)疾病的诊断和治疗方法;

 (3) methods for the diagnosis or for the treatment of diseases;

(四)动物和植物品种;

(4) animal and plant varieties;

(五)用原子核变换方法获得的物质。

5) substances obtained by means of nuclear transformation.

对前款第(四)项所列产品的生产方法,可以依照本法规定授予专利权。

For processes used in producing products referred to in items (4) of the preceding paragraph, patent right may be granted in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

第三章 专利的申请

Chapter III  Application for Patent

第二十六条 申请发明或者实用新型专利的,应当提交请求书、说明书及其摘要和权利要求书等文件。

Article 26. Where an application for a patent for invention or utility model is filed, a request, a description and its abstract, and claims shall be submitted.

请求书应当写明发明或者实用新型的名称,发明人或者设计人的姓名,申请人姓名或者名称、地址,以及其他事项。

The request shall state the title of the invention or utility model, the name of the inventor or creator, the name and the address of the applicant and other related matters.

说明书应当对发明或者实用新型作出清楚、完整的说明,以所属技术领域的技术人员能够实现为准;必要的时候,应当有附图。

The description shall set forth the invention or utility model in a manner sufficiently clear and complete so as to enable a person skilled in the re1evant field of techno1ogy to carry it out; where necessary, drawings are required.

摘要应当简要说明发明或者实用新型的技术要点。

The abstract shall state briefly the main technical points of the invention or utility model.

权利要求书应当以说明书为依据,说明要求专利保护的范围

The claims sha1l be supported by the description and shal1 state the extent of the patent protection asked for.

第二十七条 申请外观设计专利的,应当提交请求书以及该外观设计的图片或者照片等文件,并且应当写明使用该外观设计的产品及其所属的类别。

Article 27.  Where an app1ication for a patent for design is filed, a request, drawings or photographs of the design shall be submitted, and the product incorporating the design and the class to which that product be1ongs shall be indicated.

第二十八条 国务院专利行政部门收到专利申请文件之日为申请日。

Article 28.  The date on which the Patent Administration Department Under the State Council receives the application shall be the date of filing.

如果申请文件是邮寄的,以寄出的邮戳日为申请日。

If the app1ication is sent by mail, the date of mailing indicated by the postmark shall be the date of filing.

第二十九条 申请人自发明或者实用新型在外国第一次提出专利申请之日起十二个月内,或者自外观设计在外国第一次提出专利申请之日起六个月内,又在中国就相同主题提出专利申请的,依照该外国同中国签订的协议或者共同参加的国际条约,或者依照相互承认优先权的原则,可以享有优先权。

Article 29.  Where , within twelve months from the date on which any applicant first filed in a foreign country an application for a Patent for invention or utility model, or within six months from the date on which any applicant first filed in a foreign country an application for a patent for design, he or it files in China an application for a patent for the same subject matter, he or it may, in accordance with any agreement concluded between the said foreign country and China, or in accordance with any international treaty to which both countries are party, or on the basis of the principle of mutual recognition of the right of priority, enjoy a right of priority.

申请人自发明或者实用新型在中国第一次提出专利申请之日起十二个月内,又向国务院专利行政部门就相同主题提出专利申请的,可以享有优先权。

Where, within twelve months from the date on which any applicant first filed in China an application for a patent for invention or utility model, he or it files with the Patent Administration Department Under the State Council  an application for a patent for the same subject matter , he or it may enjoy a right of priority.

第三十条 申请人要求优先权的,应当在申请的时候提出书面声明,并且在三个月内提交第一次提出的专利申请文件的副本;未提出书面声明或者逾期未提交专利申请文件副本的,视为未要求优先权。

Article 30.  Any applicant who claims the right of priority shall make a written declaration when the application is filed, and submit, within three months, a copy of the patent application document which was first filed; if the applicant fails to make the written declaration or to meet the time limit for submitting the patent application document, the claim to the right of priority shall be deemed not to have been made.