Grace periods also vary from country to country. In Mexico, on other hand, there is arguably a one year grace period. It is important to check the current law and to contact associates knowledgeable in patent law in the countries of interest at the time of filing. Staying current can be critical. Previously, South Korea had an absolute novelty rule.
Some countries maintain only very limited exceptions to the absolute novelty rule.
One common but narrow exception is the display of the design at an exhibition. If no other disclosure of the design is made during the specified grace period, the design is patentable. In addition, other countries do not permit any exceptions to the novelty rule when U.S. patents have already issued or pending applications have been published prior to filing in those countries. From the above, it can be seen that there is a patchwork of foreign patent protection available for those meritorious designs that missed out during the initial patent review process. Even if a U.S. application was not filed, or was filed long ago before marketing of the new product line, sometimes non-Convention protection is available and can provide valuable protection.