Where? National, European or Worldwide?

Patents are national matters, and while rules differ from country to country. there are some organisations which grant patents simultaneously in multiple countries. Different patent procedures can be distinguished:

• A national patent procedure Patent applications can be filed at the national patent office. Formal requirements and procedures differ from country to country.
• A European patent procedure Patent applications can be filed at the European Patent Office (EPO). The EPO searches and examines the validity of the application. Once a European patent is granted, it can be validated in more than 32 countries, upon which it becomes a group of national patents.
• An International patent procedure Patent applications can be filed at the World International Property Organization (WIPO). The applicant is given a 30-month period to decide in which of more than 132 counties protection is to be sought.