European Patent Convention (EPC)
The European Patent Office provides a centralised unitary procedure for the examination and grant of European Patents. A single patent application may be filed in one of the three Official Languages (English, German or French) with the formalities examination, substantive examination and any opposition or appeals being dealt with in a unitary manner.
The applicant may designate up to 30 states (listed below) that are contracted to the EPC, and may be extended to cover 5 'Extension States'. Following grant of the patent, it becomes a bundle of national patents with each being dealt with according to national law. Certain aspects, such as maximum term (20 years), validity and infringement, are harmonised to a European standard.
Important note:
The comments in this section represent only a simplified summary of Intellectual Property and are not intended to be comprehensive. Professional advice should be sought in any particular instance as to the protection available. More information may be found in the Professional Advice section.
States Party to the European Patent Convention
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
Total (32 States)
States Party to the European Patent Convention through Extension Agreements
- Albania
- Bosnia & Herzogovnia
- Croatia
- Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of
- Serbia
Total (5 States)
States Entitled to Accede to the EPC
- Norway
States Invited to Accede to the EPC
- Croatia
- Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of
Last Updated - 13/06/07
