Patent Attorney in Liechtenstein: Patent Filings

Liechtenstein and Switzerland form one protection territory for invention patents, under a treaty in force since 1 April 1980. Swiss patent law applies there and the Swiss IPI in Bern administers it. A patent has the same effect in both states and is granted, transferred or lapses only for the territory as a whole.

A Swiss patent filed with the IPI is valid in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, because the two states form one territory (treaty Art. 1, Art. 4(1)). Whether a patent is granted is for the office to decide, and this page promises none. To extend protection to other countries you have 12 months after the Swiss filing.

A European patent can be obtained for Liechtenstein and Switzerland only through a joint designation (treaty Art. 2), so the two cannot be chosen apart. The patent has the same effect in both states (Art. 4(1)), and Liechtenstein is a member of the European Patent Convention. Your patent attorney confirms the route for your case.

No. Advising and representing in patent matters by way of business is reserved to the licensed patent attorney (PAG Art. 8(1)), and unlicensed practice is an offence (Art. 47). LFT collects your documents, prepares the file and coordinates with the attorney named in your engagement letter. The attorney files, and no grant is promised.

Not necessarily. The IPI takes Swiss applications directly and strongly recommends an attorney. Advice and representation by way of business are reserved to licensed patent attorneys (PAG Art. 8(1)-(2), Art. 47), with lawyers' separate powers (RAG Art. 8). A lawfully established EEA national patent attorney may serve temporarily after written notice to the FMA, renewed yearly (Art. 40, Art. 41(1)-(2)).

No. They hold different licences, patent attorneys under the Patent Attorneys Act and lawyers under the Lawyers Act. Professional representation of parties in court is reserved to lawyers (RAG Art. 8(1)(b)), while Art. 8(3) leaves the statutory powers of patent attorneys untouched. LFT does no court work, and enforcement is covered on its own page.

The FMA keeps a public register of all persons subject to the Patent Attorneys Act and updates it regularly (PAG Art. 48c); it supervises patent attorneys in its Other Financial Intermediaries Division. Check the attorney's entry before you sign the engagement letter. The licence is personal and cannot be transferred (Art. 1b(5)).

There is none for patents. The Swiss IPI in Bern carries out the administrative tasks for the whole territory (treaty Art. 7(1)), and the European Patent Office handles European patents. The Office of Economic Affairs is the national contact for intellectual property law and handles trademarks, not patents.

Three routes lead to two types of patent, a national and a European one. A Swiss filing allows extension abroad within 12 months. A European application designates Switzerland and Liechtenstein jointly. Under the PCT the national phase starts within 30 months after the priority date. Your patent attorney chooses the route with you; this page gives criteria only.

The revision comes into force on 1 January 2027 and applies in Liechtenstein through the treaty (Art. 5(1)(a)). Every application receives a search report; a full examination, including novelty and inventive step, can be requested for an additional CHF 300. Technical documents may be filed in English. The application fee stays CHF 200 but covers 15 claims instead of ten.

A patent expires 20 years after the filing date at the latest. Renewal fees keep it in force, and under the 2027 rule they fall due from the third year after filing. No statute fixes the time an office takes to examine and grant, so this page states no duration for a grant and promises none.

Liechtenstein courts decide patent civil actions as the single instance and try infringement offences in two instances (treaty Art. 10(1)(a), Art. 10(2)); rulings can go to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court (Art. 11). Court representation of parties is reserved to lawyers (RAG Art. 8(1)(b)), with the patent attorneys' statutory powers untouched (Art. 8(3)). LFT does no court work.

This page states no rule on who should own a patent and gives no tax view. A patent is granted, transferred, declared void or lapses for the territory as a whole (treaty Art. 4(1)), and the patent attorney handles transfers and licences. The holding vehicle is a separate question, taken up with LFT and a licensed trustee.