PATENTS Background; The Patent Specification; Filing a Patent Application; Ownership of Patents; Foreign Applications; European Patents; Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT); The Paris Convention; First Publication; The Granted Patent; Product Marking; Summary of Stages of Progress of typical British Patent Application.
	First Publication Under British law, all patent applications are published by the Patent Office 18 months after their original filing date. This is known as "first publication", and takes place at a time when the application is still pending,. The European Patent Office similarly publishes applications 18 months after their original "home" filing date. The main purpose of this publication, as far as the applicant is concerned, is to provide provisional protection under the application. This takes the form of provisions whereby, once a patent has been granted, it is possible to obtain damages for acts of infringement which occurred after first publication, even though the application was not at that time granted. For patents in chemistry, metallurgy, biochemistry and biotechnology, contact Stephen Wilkinson in our Bristol office. For patents in physics, electrical engineering, general engineering and computing, contact Chris Boydell or Sarah Perkins in our London office or David Marles in our Bristol office.