PATENTS

A patent provides legal protection for an invention – a technical solution – granting the inventor or their successor exclusive rights to exploit, manufacture, and sell the invention.

In Hungary, the conditions for obtaining patent protection and the related procedures are governed by Act XXXIII of 1995 on the Protection of Inventions by Patents. According to this law, the subject of a patent must meet the following criteria:

• Novelty: It does not form part of the state of the art.
• Inventive step: It is not obvious to a person skilled in the art in light of the state of the art.
• Industrial applicability: It can be produced or used in any field of industry or agriculture.

The duration of patent protection is 20 years and cannot be extended. During this period, the patent holder has exclusive rights, meaning others may only exploit the invention with permission. If someone commits patent infringement – known as violation – the patent holder can take legal action against them.