administrative regulations which, under this Law, constitute formal requirements, and shall
examine whether information specifically requested under articles 30 and 31 if any, has been
provided.
If the empowered authority finds that the requirements of paragraph (1) of this article have
not been satisfied, he shall invite the applicant to make the required corrections; if the
applicant does not comply with the invitation, the application shall be considered withdrawn;
if the correction relates to the declaration of priority, the right of priority shall be lost.
Where the empowered authority is of the opinion that the application complies with the
formal requirements of the paragraph (1) of this article, he shall take a decision as to whether
the requirements of articles 14 to 18, 25 and 26 and the administrative regulations pertaining
thereto and cause, if appropriate, the application to be examined as to substance. For the
purposes of examination as to substance, the empowered authority shall take into account:
1° the results of any international search report and any international preliminary
examination report established under the Patent Cooperation Treaty in relation to the
application filed in Rwanda; and/or
2° the results of any search and examination report and any decision submitted under article
31 of this Law; and/ or
3° the results of any search and examination report which was carried out upon his request
by an external search and examination authority or by a specialized agency of the
Government of Rwanda.
Article 34: Grant of the patent
Where the competent authority finds that the formal requirements of article 32 have been
satisfied, it shall grant the patent. In the opposite case, he shall reject the application and shall
notify the applicant of that decision in writing in a period provided by international
conventions to which Rwanda is party.
When granting a patent, the empowered authority shall:
1° publish a reference to the grant of the patent and its abstract;
2° issue to the applicant a certificate of the grant of the patent and a copy of the patent;
3° record the patent in the register of patents;
4° make available copies of the patent to the public, on payment of the fee determined by the
Minister.
Article 35: Amendments of the application for patent
The empowered authority shall, upon request of the patent owner, make amendments to the
patent text or drawings, intended to limit the scope of the protection conferred hereby,
provided that as a result of these amendments the disclosure made in the patent does not go