Under section 3 of the Patents Act, the inventor has exclusive right to his/her invention. This is further provided under section 4 which entitles the inventor to the exclusive right to use, sell or make his/her invention for a period of 14 years from the date of the grant of the letters of patent.
For all patents granted in the United Kingdom, the inventor may accordingly apply to the Solicitor-General within 3 years from the date of its issue for registration of the patent in Fiji. Once granted, the patent shall continue in force in Fiji for so long as the patent remains in force in the United Kingdom.
There is no specific provision in the Patents Act for the extension of the patent once the term expires, however, a person who requires an extension would normally apply for grant of a new letters of patent.
