How Long Do Tech Patents Last. How long does a patent last: Design patents filed prior to may 13, 2015, have a term of 14 years from issuance.


In 2020, china filed 68,720 international patent applications, the most in the world. Article 52 epc excludes programs for computers from patentability (art. Within european union member states, the epo and other national patent offices have issued many patents for inventions involving software since the european patent convention (epc) came into force in the late 1970s.