ZIMBABWE

(b) PATENT

Eligible Property

Any new and used art, process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter that is not obvious, or any new and used improvement thereof that is not obvious and that is capable of being used or applied in trade or industry, may be patented. Applications for patents may be made for methods and apparatus well as for products arid, if appropriate, for the use of products. Patents for pharmaceutical inventions and inventions relating to food may be claimed in a wide variety of ways. Patents for pharmaceutical preparations may be claimed either with or without claims to a process.

Duration

Registered patents are valid for twenty years, subject to payment of renewal fees at the end of the third year of the term of the patent and annually thereafter.

Filing Applications

Applications are filed at the Patents Office in Harare and must be accompanied by provisional specifications of inventions and by complete specifications (and if possible formal drawings) of products and processes.

Consequences of Registration

The rights granted by a patent in Zimbabwe are effective only in Zimbabwe, so that if patent protection is required in other countries, applications should be filled in those countries. If Zimbabwe is the original country of filing a patent application. applications in other countries should be filed within one year of filing the Zimbabwean application to enjoy the benefit of protection from the Zimbabwe filing date under the International Convention.