Patent protection in Chile

Questions about patents in Chile

How much does a patent cost in Chile?

Our estimate is about US$3,965 to take a PCT application to grant in Chile. That is about US$1,500 in official fees and US$2,465 in attorney fees. By stage: filing US$1,610, search US$300, examination request US$505, office action response US$1,015 and grant / issuance / publication US$535 (one office action response included). Renewal fees over the patent's life add an estimated US$1,814. These are estimates only, for a standard application (10 claims, 30 pages, a company applicant): the actual cost depends on the law firm and the application. Request a quote from a law firm on this site for an exact price.

What is the PCT national phase deadline for Chile, and which routes are there?

The PCT national phase for Chile must be entered within 30 months of the earliest priority date.

In which technologies is Chile an important patent market?

Chile's 10 largest fields of technology by patent publications are pharmaceuticals (524 a year), biotechnology (287 a year), organic fine chemistry (220 a year), basic materials chemistry (178 a year), chemical engineering (143 a year), civil engineering (142 a year), other special machines (138 a year), materials, metallurgy (114 a year), food chemistry (108 a year) and handling (102 a year). Within its region, it stands out for biotechnology (#3 in Latin America and the Caribbean), pharmaceuticals (#3 in Latin America and the Caribbean), food chemistry (#3 in Latin America and the Caribbean), organic fine chemistry (#3 in Latin America and the Caribbean), basic materials chemistry (#3 in Latin America and the Caribbean) and materials, metallurgy (#3 in Latin America and the Caribbean). Publications are growing fastest in surface technology, coating (23% a year), environmental technology (17% a year) and materials, metallurgy (17% a year). About 2,682 PCT applications enter the national phase in Chile each year.

What does Chile's economy make and export?

Chile's GDP is US$357.4bn, of which services US$198.4bn, industry US$112.3bn (of which manufacturing US$32.0bn) and agriculture US$12.3bn. Spending a year: households US$202.8bn and health care US$34.9bn. Chile's exports of goods came to US$101.2bn in 2024. Its 10 largest exports were copper ore (US$31.0bn, 31% of its exports, #1 in the world), refined copper (US$17.2bn, 17% of its exports, #2 in the world), apricots, cherries, peaches and plums (US$4.0bn, 4% of its exports, #1 in the world), fish fillets (US$3.8bn, 4% of its exports, #2 in the world), wood pulp (US$3.0bn, 3% of its exports, #4 in the world), carbonates (including lithium carbonate) (US$2.8bn, 3% of its exports, #1 in the world), unrefined copper (US$2.1bn, 2% of its exports, #3 in the world), fish (US$2.0bn, 2% of its exports, #3 in the world), molybdenum ores and concentrates (US$1.9bn, 2% of its exports, #1 in the world) and wine (US$1.6bn, 2% of its exports, #5 in the world). Where products are made, a patent there can stop infringing copies being made, not only being sold.