S.L. 417.2 Art. 10Duration of licence.

The duration referred in regulation 9 shall commence at the expiry of the term of the patent and shall continue to have effect for that period equal to the period elapsed between the first day of the sixth year following the date of the application for a patent and the date of the first authorisation to place the product on the market in Malta or in any other country with which the Government of Malta has reciprocal or international agreements on supplementary protection certificates: Provided that the period lapsed as aforesaid shall in no case exceed five years: Provided further that for the purposes of calculating the duration of the certificate, account shall be taken of a provisional first marketing authorisation only if it is directly followed by a definitive authorisation concerning the same product.