South Africa PCT national phase patent
| South African PCT national phase patent information | |
|---|---|
| Cost of a South African patent: | US$ 585 |
| Time to grant: | approx. 12 months |
| Filing deadline: | 31 months from priority date, extendable on payment of a nominal fee to 34 months |
| Language: | English |
| Requirements: | All we require is your PCT / WO patent number. We will send you two Declarations and a Power of Attorney for signature. The original signed forms must be lodged. No legalisation is required |
| Prosecution: | The South African Patent Office does not examine patents. As such, there are no patent prosecution or grant costs. The US$585 filing fee includes all costs up to and including grant of the South African national phase patent |
| Amendments: | Amendments may be made after filing the South African national phase patent |
Tip: The most affordable South African national phase patent filing ($399) is offered by GlobalIPCo (for whom we are the exclusive South African agent)
| Country information | |
|---|---|
| GDP: | US$ 350,779m |
| Population: | 52,982,000 (growing at 1.34% pa) |
| GDP/capita: | US$ 6,621 |
| Health care spend: | 9% of GDP |
| Key industries: | mining, manufacturing, financial services, agriculture |
South Africa is a member of BRICS (together with Brazil, Russia, India and China).
South Africa is the most popular country in Africa to file patents. Also consider filing national phase patents in Nigeria, ARIPO and OAPI (being regional systems for Southern and Northern Africa, respectively).
Enforcement:
South African patent law is comprehensive and mature. The South African courts are independent and strictly enforce patent rights. The courts do not discriminate between South Africans and foreigners. Applicants can also rely on South Africa’s strong anti-counterfeiting and trademark laws.
South African intellectual property rights are easily and (relatively) cheaply enforced.