Eligibility: an invention qualifies for a utility model certificate if it is new and is industrially applicable.

Duration: seven years from the date of filing the application.

Filing requirements: the same as for “Patents of Invention” except that the utility model need not involve an inventive step.

Conversion from patent application into utility model application: may be done at any time before grant or final rejection of the patent application, upon payment of a fee. 

Conversion from a utility model application into a patent application: may be done at any time before grant or final rejection of the utility model application, upon payment of a fee. The converted application is accorded the filing date of the initial application. The application may not be converted more than once.