South African patents are not international patents.

The main feature of South Africa's patent system is that South Africa's patents only refer to invention patents, and there is no institutional design for utility models, and the design is protected by special legislation. Moreover, South Africa adopts the patent application system first, and does not adopt the examination system.

In terms of patentability, service invention, third party's application for invalidation of patent, compulsory licensing of patent, etc., it absorbs the basic contents of the Paris Convention, taking into account the international characteristics and local characteristics. In South Africa, the patent protection period is 2 years at the longest from the date of filing or the priority date.

Main information:

South Africa is a member of many international agreements and conventions on intellectual property protection, and its intellectual property legal system includes patent, trademark law and copyright law.

South Africa's patent law stipulates that, generally speaking, a patent can be regarded as an invention if it meets the three conditions of novelty, creativity and practicality. If a patent is creative and can be applied to commerce, industry or agriculture, it can be considered as a new invention.

The patent right in South Africa gives the patentee the right to prohibit others from manufacturing, using, utilizing, disposing of, providing, transferring or importing the patentee's invention. Infringement includes various forms of use of patented inventions, including private use, and production, sale, offering for sale or import of articles containing patented technology. If the patent owner wants to commercialize his invention, he must ensure that it does not infringe the patent rights of others.