Intellectual Property
Patents & Industrial Designs
Patent and design prosecution, portfolio management and technology transfer for technical and pharmaceutical clients.
- Chambers Asia-Pacific · Ranked 15 years, Intellectual Property
- The Legal 500 · Tier 1, Intellectual Property
Patents and industrial designs in Bangladesh are administered by the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks. Prosecution requires technically literate drafting and local procedural knowledge; infringement suits are filed in the District Court, and where a revocation counterclaim is raised the matter moves to the High Court Division.
We handle filing and prosecution, design registration, portfolio maintenance and the technology transfer and licensing arrangements that sit around them, working with the client's international patent counsel where a family is being extended into Bangladesh.
How we help
- Patent filing, prosecution and grant
- Industrial design registration and renewal
- Freedom-to-operate and validity opinions
- Patent and design infringement proceedings; revocation defence
- Technology transfer and licensing documentation
- IP due diligence on technical portfolios
Representative matters
- Technology transfer work for consumer goods and pharmaceutical companies.
Mandates in this practice
Devi CropScience · Applicant's counsel
Secured extended protection for an agrochemical patent
Recent changes in the law
LDC graduation deferred to 24 November 2029
The UN General Assembly extended Bangladesh's preparatory period on an exceptional basis, moving graduation from least-developed-country status from 24 November 2026 to 24 November 2029. The TRIPS transition for pharmaceutical product patents continues in the meantime.
Patent Act 2023 in force
The Bangladesh Patent Act 2023 came into force, replacing the patent provisions of the Patents and Designs Act 1911. It sets a 20-year term from filing, a 36-month deadline to request examination, and introduces the utility model.
Our writing on this
- LDC graduation deferred to 2029: what it means for pharmaceutical patents
The United Nations has deferred Bangladesh's graduation from least-developed-country status by three years, to November 2029. The TRIPS transition for medicines continues until then. The deferral buys time; it does not change what originators and manufacturers need to do with it.
- Madrid Protocol accession: what it would mean for rights holders in Bangladesh
An amendment to the Trademarks Act enabling Madrid accession is reported to be in progress. It would change how marks are filed in Bangladesh — and change what the work of protecting them actually consists of.
- The 2023 statutes: Bangladesh's IP law leaves 1911 behind
The Patent Act 2023, the Industrial Design Act 2023 and the Copyright Act 2023 replaced law dating to 1911 and 2000. Anyone still working from the old section numbers is working from repealed provisions.
- IP enforcement in Bangladesh: using treaty rights in a growing consumer market
Bangladesh is a first-to-file jurisdiction with a large and expanding consumer market. Brand owners who treat enforcement as a series of raids rather than a programme consistently under-recover.
IP guide · Patents
Patents: protect your inventions
What it is
A patent gives its owner the exclusive right to make, use, sell and import an invention for 20 years, in return for publicly disclosing it. The invention must be new, involve an inventive step and be capable of industrial application.
Not granted for now: Pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical products, until the TRIPS transition period ends. Mere discoveries and scientific theories are not inventions.
- Law
- Patent Act 2023, in force Feb 2025
- Office
- DPDT
- Term
- 20 years from filing
- Paris priority
- 12 months
- PCT route
- Not available
What we need from you to file
- Complete specification in English: description, claims, abstract and drawings
- Details of corresponding foreign applications, with grants or refusals
- Assignment from the inventors to the applicant
- Certified priority document, if claiming priority
- Deposit certificate from an international depositary authority, for microorganisms
- Power of attorney
Time frame
Plan for several years to grant
- 1FilingWithin 12 months of your first filing abroad to keep priority.
- 2Formality checkThe DPDT reviews documents and fees.
- 3PublicationPre-grant publication of the application, with a publication fee.
- 4Request examinationWithin 36 months of the filing date, with the official fee.
- 5Examination and grantSubstantive examination; opposition and appeal are possible.
After grant
Pay renewal fees from year 6 to keep the patent in force. A patent that lapses for non-payment can be restored within 2 years. Record assignments and licences.
Our tip
Diary the 36-month examination deadline: extensions must be asked for before it expires. Keep foreign search and examination results ready, as the Registrar can demand them within 90 days.
IP guide · Utility models
Utility models: protect improvements
What it is
A utility model, sometimes called a “petty patent”, protects a new, practical improvement to a product or process. Introduced by the Patent Act 2023, it gives incremental innovations that may not meet the full patent standard a route to protection.
Good to know: Utility model procedures are new in Bangladesh, and implementing practice is still developing. We confirm current requirements and timelines when you instruct us.
- Law
- Patent Act 2023
- Office
- DPDT
- Term
- 8 years
- Paris priority
- 12 months
- Best for
- Incremental innovations
What we need from you to file
- Specification in English: description, claims and drawings
- Applicant's and inventors' names, addresses and nationalities
- Assignment from the inventors to the applicant
- Certified priority document, if claiming priority
- Details of any corresponding foreign filings
- Power of attorney
Time frame
We confirm timelines on instruction
- 1FilingWithin 12 months of your first filing abroad to keep priority.
- 2Formality checkThe DPDT reviews documents and fees.
- 3ExaminationReview of novelty and industrial application.
- 4RegistrationCertificate issued and the right recorded.
| Comparison | Patent | Utility model |
|---|---|---|
| Term | 20 years | 8 years |
| Best suited to | Breakthrough technologies | Practical improvements |
| Our advice | Strong inventive step | Borderline inventive step |
Patent or utility model?
A patent suits breakthrough technologies with a strong inventive step and runs for 20 years. A utility model suits practical improvements with a borderline inventive step and runs for 8.
Our tip
Where the inventive step is borderline, a utility model can secure protection that a patent application might not.
IP guide · Industrial designs
Designs: protect how products look
What it is
An industrial design protects the visual appearance of a product: its shape, configuration, lines, colours, pattern or ornamentation, and under the new Act even graphical user interfaces and calligraphy. It covers how a product looks, not how it works.
Key rule: A design must be new and distinctive, and unregistered designs are not protected under the Act. Purely functional features belong to patents.
- Law
- Industrial Design Act 2023
- Office
- DPDT
- Term
- 10 + 3 × 5 years (25 max)
- Paris priority
- 6 months
- Non-residents
- Local agent required
What we need from you to file
- Drawings or photographs of every view: front, back, sides, top, bottom and perspective
- The article the design applies to and the materials it is made of
- A short statement of novelty
- Applicant's name, address and nationality
- Certified priority document, if claiming priority
- Power of attorney
Time frame
Examination has typically taken about 9 months
- 1FilingWithin 6 months of your first filing abroad to keep priority.
- 2ExaminationFormality and substantive review by the DPDT.
- 3PublicationThe application is published.
- 4Opposition window30 days from publication for third parties.
- 5RegistrationCertificate issued and protection begins.
After registration
Renew at 10 years, then every 5 years, for up to 25 years in total. Record assignments and licences, and act quickly against copies.
Our tip
File before you launch, exhibit or publish the design: public disclosure can destroy novelty. Register each distinct version you sell.
Questions we are asked
Patents & Industrial Designs in Bangladesh: common questions
- Can I file a PCT application for Bangladesh?
- No. Bangladesh is not a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. A patent must be filed directly in Bangladesh, ideally within the 12-month Paris Convention priority period.
- How long does a patent last in Bangladesh?
- Twenty years from the filing date under the Patent Act 2023, which came into force on 27 February 2025. Renewal fees are payable from year six.
- Is there a deadline to request examination of a Bangladesh patent application?
- Yes. Examination must be requested within 36 months of the filing date, with the official fee. An extension has to be asked for before the deadline expires.
- Can pharmaceutical products be patented in Bangladesh?
- Not at present. Product patents for medicines and agricultural chemicals are not granted until the TRIPS transition period for least-developed countries ends. Bangladesh's graduation from least-developed-country status has been deferred to November 2029.
- Does a foreign applicant need a local agent to file a patent in Bangladesh?
- Yes. Foreign applicants file through a local agent under a power of attorney, with a complete specification in English.
- What is a utility model in Bangladesh?
- A utility model, sometimes called a petty patent, protects a new, practical improvement to a product or process. It was introduced by the Patent Act 2023 and lasts 8 years, against 20 years for a patent.
- How long is an industrial design protected in Bangladesh?
- Ten years initially, renewable three times for five years each, for a maximum of 25 years under the Industrial Design Act 2023.
- Are unregistered designs protected in Bangladesh?
- No. Unregistered designs are not protected under the Industrial Design Act 2023, so a design should be registered before the product is launched, exhibited or published. Public disclosure can destroy novelty.
How we work with you
Free first consultation
Prompt preliminary advice on any IP action, at no charge.
No advance payment
We invoice only after the filing is lodged.
Transparent fees
Full schedule of official and professional fees on request.
One named lawyer
Clear English updates by email, with deadlines.
Dhaka is GMT+6. The Bangladesh weekend is Friday and Saturday.