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Argentina

GDP: $879.447 billion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 43,417,000 (2015 est) | Capital: Buenos Aires | Largest City: Buenos Aires | Official language: Spanish

The government of Argentina adheres to most treaties and international agreements on intellectual property and belongs to the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization.  [Read more]

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Australia

GDP: $1.137 trillion PPP (2015 est) | Population: 24,258,200 (2016 est) | Capital: Canberra | Largest City: Sydney | Official language: English

The system of granting patents Australia is based upon British law tracing back to the English Statute of Monopolies of 1623, enacted in 1624. Prior to this, in the mid-19th Century, inventors had to apply to England for their patents. [Read more]

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Brazil

GDP: $3.101 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 206,440,850 (2016 est) | Capital: Brazilia | Largest City: Sao Paulo | Official language: Portuguese

Brazil was one of the first four countries to enact a patent law in 1809. It was also a founding member of the Paris Convention in 1882. Patents received Constitutional acceptance in the first Imperial Charter of 1824, and further Republican Constitutions provided for patent protection (and eventually, trademarks) in Brazil's Bill of Rights. [Read more]

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Canada

GDP: $1.672 trillion  PPP (2016 est) | Population: 36,286,425 (2016 est) | Capital: Ottawa | Largest City: Toronto | Official language: English, French

The first patent in Canada was granted in 1791, however no official patent act existed until 30 years later. And in 1869, the first patent act was created as part of the British North America Act.  The Patent Office and post of Commissionaire of Patents were established between 1900 and 1919 and in 1991, these offices were incorporated into the new Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). [Read more]

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Chile

GDP: $457.534 billion  PPP (2016 est) | Population: 18,006,407 (2015 est) | Capital: Santiago | Largest City: Santiago | Official language: Spanish

October 5, 1840 marked the first granting of a patent in Chile to Andrew Blest who introduced a method for making Ron (rum) in Chile. On June 26, 1877, the Santa Rosa de Los Andes brand was awarded to Napoleón Meneses for the manufacture of wines and liqueurs in Los Andes. This is the oldest trademark registered in the National Institute of Industrial Property. [Read more]

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China

GDP: $20.853 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 1.376 billion (2016 est) | Capital: Beijing | Largest City: Shanghai | Official language: Standard Chinese

Patent law in modern mainland China began in 1984 with the declaration of the Patent Law of the People's Republic of China. One year later, China acceded to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, followed by the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 1994.[1] When China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, it became a member of the TRIPS agreement. [Read more]

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Cuba

GDP: $234.624 billion PPP (2013 est) | Population: 11,239,004 (2015 est) | Capital: Havana | Largest City: Havana | Official language: Spanish

Cuba and metropolitan Spain had the same patent legal regime before 1898, but their practical management differed. Cuban institutions assumed control of the promotion of economic development while the Spanish patent system became progressively self-governed. These independent institutional practices led to the establishment of an autonomous ‘Colonial Innovation System’ before the political separation of Cuba in 1898. [Read more]

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Europe

GDP: $16.27 trillion (nominal, 2015) | Population: 742,452,000 (2013) | Largest Cities: Istanbul (Turkey), Moscow (Russia), St. Petersburg (Russia), Ankara (Turkey), Berlin (Germany), Madrid (Spain), Rome (Italy), Kiev (Ukraine), Paris (France), Minsk (Belarus)

European patent law includes a wide range of legislation. These include national patent laws, the Strasbourg Convention of 1963, the European Patent Convention of 1973, and a number of directives and regulations in countries which participate in the European Patent Convention. [Read more]

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France

GDP: $2.647 trillion PPP (2015 est) | Population: 66,736,000 (2016 est) | Capital: Paris | Largest City: Paris | Official language: French

In 1791, the revolutionary government in France began establishing patent laws governing inventions. However, the regulations were lax compared to present day patent law. Applicants did not have to specify what was new about their inventions and there was no actual examination of the applicant’s claims. The applicant could request the term length of protection (5, 10, or 15 years) and pay fees accordingly, depending on the period specified. [Read more]

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Germany

GDP: $3.842 trillion PPP (2015 est) | Population: 8,124,8691 (2016 est) | Capital: Berlin | Largest City: Berlin | Official language: German

The establishment of a German patent authority was stipulated in the patent law in 1877. That authority was named Kaiserliches Patentamt (imperial patent office) and started to operate in Berlin. The first German patent was granted for a 'production process for a red ultramarine colour' in 1877. [Read more]

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India

GDP: $8.727 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 1,293,057,000 (2016 est) | Capital: New Delhi | Largest City: Mumbai | Official languages: Hindi, English

The 1970 Patent Act was significantly amended in 1999, 2002, and 2005. The third amendment redefined all products as product patents, including pharmaceuticals. To meet the TRIPS deadline for January 1, 2005, patent terms were extended to 20 years . According to Vivana Munoz Tellez, “this closed the option of reverse engineering that largely contributed to the growth of the Indian pharmaceutical industry.” [Read more]

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Japan

GDP: $4.901 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 127,110,047 (2015 est) | Capital: Tokyo | Largest City: Tokyo | Official language: Japanese

Japan's patent law began in the Meiji era. In 1867, Fukuzawa Yukichi, a Japanese author, writer, teacher, translator, entrepreneur and journalist, introduced the concept of the patent to Japan in his writings. The following year, the Meiji Restoration restored practical imperial rule which began the modernization of Japan. In 1871, an experimental patent system was implemented, but then abandoned the following year. In 1885, Japan's first substantial patent law was established by the creation of the "Patent Monopoly Act". [Read more]

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Mexico

GDP: $2.224 trillion PPP (2015 est) | Population: 119,530,753 (2015 est) | Capital: Mexico City | Largest City: Mexico City | Official language: Spanish

Mexico's “Law on property rights for inventors” dates back to 1832 and granted protection to certain types of ideas and inventions. Originally influenced by Spanish law, President Porfirio Díaz replaced it with the “Law of manufacturing trademarks” in 1889, which had French influence. The New Law of Industrial Property issued in 1991 was thoroughly reviewed and modified to conciliate with North American standards in the process of the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). [Read more]

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Netherlands

GDP: $856.265 billion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 17,000,059 (2016 est) | Capital: Amsterdam | Largest City: Amsterdam | Official languages: Dutch, Frisian, English, Papiamento

Originally, the Netherlands' patent system was part of French law. Later, the 1817 Patents Act was the first patent act approved in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, however, it was repealed in 1869. In 1910, the Patent Act re-emerged and in 1968, it was renamed the Kingdom Patents Act. In 1979, it was revised substantially to provide for the entry into force of the European Patent Convention. [Read more]

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Russia

GDP: $3.685 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 146,544,710 (2016 est) | Capital: Moscow | Largest City: Moscow | Official language: Russian

The establishment of a specialized intellectual property court in the Russian Federation has been debated since the late 1980s. In 2011, Federal Constitutional Law No. 4-FKZ was adopted in order to foster a more beneficial environment for innovation, business and foreign investment and to improve the country’s IP protection system. Russia’s new Intellectual Property Court opened its doors for operation in 2013 marking a significant period in the history of IP protection in the Russian Federation. [Read more]

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Saudi Arabia

GDP: $1.683 trillion PPP (2015 est) | Population: 30,770,375 (2014 est) | Capital: Riyadh | Largest City: Riyadh | Official language: Arabic

The Saudi Patent Regulations of 1989 was created to establish a patent registration system that would cover any new article, method of manufacture or improvement thereof and product patents. The Saudi Patent Office granted its first patents in 1996. Patent cases are heard by an administrative commission which sits in the City of King Abdul Aziz for Science and Technology. [Read more]

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Singapore

GDP: $452.686 billion PPP (2014 est) | Population: 5,610,000 (2015 est) | Capital: Singpore (city-state) | Largest City: Bedok | Official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil

Singapore’s intellectual property rights regime was developed after independence and separation from Malaysia in 1965. In less than three decades, they have become recognised as one of the best in the world by international surveys. [Read more]

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South Africa

GDP: $742.461 billion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 54,956,900 (2015 est) | Capital: Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town| Largest City: Johannesburg | Official languages: 11 languages (Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, English, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu)

According to the South African Patent Act 57 of 1978, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) protects all new patent applications that are filed within the Republic of South Africa. [Read more]

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South Korea

GDP: $1.929 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 1,293,057,000 (2016 est) | Capital: Seoul | Largest City: Seoul | Official language: Korean

In 1908, the Patent Decree laid the foundation in Korea for institutionalizing intellectual property. In 1949, Korea's Ministry of Commerce and Industry was established under the name Patent Bureau and later renamed as the Korean Industrial Property Office. In 1961, the patent laws were divided into four property laws: the Patent Act, the Utility Model Act, the Trademark Act, and the Design Act. In 2000, the name was officially changed to "Korean Intellectual Property Office" (KIPO). [Read more]

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Spain

GDP: $1.674 trillion PPP (2015 est) | Population: 46,423,064 (2015 est) | Capital: Madrid | Largest City: Madrid | Official language: Spanish

By 1824, the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts and the Law of Priveleges of 1826 together became the real foundation of Spain's industrial property system. Today, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office ("SPTO") promotes and supports Spain's technological and economic developement. [Read more]

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Sweden

GDP: $498.130 billion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 9,954,420 (2016 est) | Capital: Stockholm | Largest City: Stockholm | Official language: Swedish

In 1885, the first Swedish patent office was established. Named the Kong Institute of Patent Office, it conducted business in Lilla Nygatan in Stockholm's Old Town. Its name was eventually changed to the Royal Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV). [Read more]

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Switzerland

GDP: $493.126 billion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 8,364,100 (2016 est) | Defacto Capital: Bern | Largest City: Zürich | Official languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh

In November 1888, the Federal Intellectual Property Agency was founded in Switzerland. In 1978, as part of the new administrative organization law, it was renamed the Federal Office of Intellectual Property. Later, in 1996, it received the status of an independent public law institution and continued under the name of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). [Read more]

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Taiwan

GDP: $1,147 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 23,508,362 (2016 est) | Capital: Taipei | Largest City: New Taipei | Official language: Mandarin Chinese

The "Handicrafts Incentives Provisional Regulations" was established in 1911 by China's Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Later, following years of debate, discussion and revision, the first official patent law was created in 1944. However, in 1949, the Nationalist government was forced to retreat to Taiwan. Intellectual property issues were managed by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) initially located in Tainan. In 1972, it was moved to Taipei. After a series of major revisions to IP law in the early 1990s, the NBS was reorganized and renamed the Intellectual Property Office in 1999. [Read more]

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Thailand

GDP: $1.152 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 67,959,000 (2015 est) | Capital: Bangkok | Largest City: Bangkok | Official language: Thai

Thailand's patent law was first introduced in 1979 in the form of the Patent Act B.E.2522 (A.D.1979). This was the first act regulating the rules for obtaining patent registration. In 1992, the Patent Act was amended to add more protection for patents. After seven years, it was amended even further adding rules for obtaining “petty patents” for inventions which still remains active today. [Read more]

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Turkey

GDP: $1.665 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 78,741,053 (2015 est) | Capital: Ankara | Largest City: Istanbul | Official language: Turkish

The Turkish Patent Institute (TPI) was established in 1994 in Ankara as an intellectual property organization attached to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Republic of Turkey.  It is liable under special judiciary provisions to support technological development in Turkey, establishing and protecting industrial property rights. [Read more]

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United Kingdom

GDP: $1.152 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 67,959,000 (2015 est) | Capital: London | Largest City: London | Official language: English

Patents were granted in Britain dating back as far as the fifteenth century. The official Patent Office was created by the Patents Law Amendment Act in 1852. This brought patent examinations and grants into a single office serving the whole of the United Kingdom, making the process easier for petitioners. [Read more]

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United States

GDP: $18.558 trillion PPP (2016 est) | Population: 324,720,797 (2016 est) | Capital: Washington D.C. | Largest City: New York City | Official language: English

In 1641, the Massachusetts General Court granted an exclusive right for a new process of making salt for 10 years, which is unofficially known of as the first “patent” in America. States began passing general patent laws, followed by the first federal patent statute of the United States, The Patent Act of 1790. [Read more]

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