Brussels, 21/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - In mid-December, Croatia and Norway ratified the European Patent Convention (EPC) to become members of the European Patent Office (EPO) on 1 January 2008. The EPO is the Munich-based intergovernmental organisation responsible for issuing European patents. Alison Brimelow, EPO President, states in a press release that they welcome Croatia and Norway which, as new members, will contribute to shaping the intellectual property framework necessary for supporting and improving growth and competitiveness in Europe. European patents potentially apply in 38 European countries, the 34 EPO countries plus four countries with observer status (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).
It should be noted that the revised version of the European Patent Convention, which governs issuance of European patents by the EPO, took effect in mid-December. According to Ms Brimelow, “the new EPC can also be adapted to new legal developments, in particular to future Community law, more easily than the old convention”. Many amendments can now be adopted and the revised treaty will facilitate access to patent protection on a European scale and simplify procedures for those requesting and holding patents. Also introduced were: - the possibility of filing patent applications in any language, with translation into one of the three official languages of the EPO (German, English and French) at a later date; - simple and effective means of redress are available in case time limits are missed during the examination procedure; - and the limitation procedure lets proprietors restrict the scope of their patents of their own accord in central proceedings before the EPO. (M.B.)