The short answer
A utility model patent protects an improvement in the shape, structure or configuration of a product that is industrially usable and technically advanced. It is available under Sections 42 and 43 of the Bangladesh Patent Act, 2023, lasts 8 years, and suits mechanical and incremental inventions.
What can be a utility model?
The invention must improve the shape, structure or configuration of a product or device, be suitable for industrial use and show technical advancement. Typical examples are tools, handles, fittings and mechanical parts.
Example. A tap handle with a safer, more ergonomic grip may not meet the full-patent standard, but it can be protected as a utility model.
What cannot be protected?
- Processes and methods
- Discoveries and scientific theories
- Stand-alone computer programs
- Biotech, microbiology and pharma inventions excluded elsewhere in the Act
- Inventions harmful to health, order or morality
- Liquids and formless materials
- A known product with only a new use
- Plants, animals and naturally occurring organisms
- Mere assemblies or copies of known parts
How to file and what to expect
Apply
- Anyone may apply, on the prescribed form
- Include claims, a concise description and drawings if needed
- A priority claim from an earlier domestic or foreign filing is allowed
Examination
- Checked for novelty, industrial applicability and legal compliance
- You can amend or answer objections
- The Director General approves or rejects
Opposition
- Third parties may oppose with evidence before grant
- A hearing may be held if the opposition is serious
Utility model questions
How long does a utility model last?
8 years from the filing or priority date.
Is it examined?
Yes, for novelty and industrial applicability, with a simpler process than a full patent.
Can software be a utility model?
No. Stand-alone computer programs are excluded.
File a utility model in Bangladesh
We assess whether your invention suits a utility model or a full patent, then draft and file it.
