Convention Consider the following hypothetical situation.
Japan is a member of the Paris Convention as is Norway. This application can be either for a Japanese patent or for a Japanese utility model, as the particular choice will not affect this hypothetical. Some time thereafter the Japanese filer advertises and sells products incorporating the invention. Purchasers of the products can readily deduce the invention after they have purchased the product. While this is a tremendous benefit, in terms of member countries, one must be aware, however, that not all countries are members of the Paris Convention.