Patent · 03
Patents & designs
Patents disclose. If the value is secrecy, use the NNN route instead of a publication path.
First job Separate patentable subject-matter from trademarks and from what must stay a secret.
Start here
Key considerations
- Is the subject patentable, or must it stay confidential?
- Invention, utility model, or design?
- Has it been disclosed already?
Decision map
Keep the question bounded.
- Choose patent vs secretDisclosure versus NNN measures.
- Choose the instrumentInvention, UM, or design.
- Name the applicantOwnership again.
Curated resources
Open the asset that matches this job.
Helpful to prepare
Facts that make the next conversation clearer.
These items are orientation aids, not a legal requirement list.
- Subject-matter in one sentence
- Whether public disclosure already happened
- Proposed applicant
Local context
Add the city when the enforcement forum changes.
AIC/SAMR and court practice can differ after the national IP route is identified.
Open city and province guidesCounsel hand-off
Need IP counsel?
This hub organises filing, secrets and enforcement routes. It does not register rights, stop a squatter or bind CNIPA on your facts.
Find IP counsel