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Zambia: New Patent Legislation

# Zambia: New Patent Legislation

Spoor & Fisher
- 10 May 2017

### Zambia has a new Patents Act, No. 40 of 2016. This legislation, which came into force on 27 December 2016, repeals the Patents Act Cap 400.

The new law contains a number of important changes, such as those listed below.

**Novelty:** The law now provides for absolute novelty.

***Exclusions:** *The exclusions to patentability are now in line with international norms.

***Budapest:** *There is provision for the Budapest Treaty, and there are disclosure requirements for inventions involving genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

***Restrictions:** *There are restrictions on Zambian residents filing patents abroad.

***Foreign applications:** *There is now a duty of full disclosure of information involving corresponding foreign applications.

***International:*** There is recognition of PCT International and national phase applications.

***Term: ***The term of a patent is 20 years, with an option to extend the term in certain circumstances.

***Restoration:*** There is provision for restoration of a patent.

***Utility models***: The new law makes provision for the registration of utility models.

[Contact us](mailto:info@spoor.co.uk) for further information.