Patents are territorial rights, which means that your invention is protected only in the countries or regions where you have received a patent.
In other words, if a patent has not been granted, or recognized, in a given country, the invention will not be protected in that country. That means that anyone can make, use, offer for sale, import or sell your invention in that country.
As a general recommendation, if you intend to commercially exploit your invention outside your country, consider obtaining patent protection in all the relevant markets as early as possible. In which countries/regions patent protection should be sought depends on each case. Aspects that may be considered include:
- Where is the patented product likely to be commercialized?
- Where are the main markets for similar products? Where will the main markets be?
- What are the costs involved in each targeted country/region?
- Where are the main competitors based? Where will they be in a near future?
- Where will the product be manufactured?
- How difficult will it be to enforce a patent in a given country?