London Agreement comes into force

1 May 2008 is the day that many companies occupied with intellectual property all over the world have been waiting for.

France has now met the final formal requirements for the so-called London Agreement to enter into force. The London Agreement which changes the rules and regulations regarding the translation of European patents will apply to granted European patents with a Publication of Mention of Grant on 1 May 2008 or later. According to the London Agreement, individual states are only entitled to require a translation of the claims into their national language while other parts of the patent only have to be available in one of the three official languages of the EPO, English, German or French. The states which have ratified the agreement can decide which of the three languages should be applied.

Click here for more information about the London Agreement.