European Patent Validation
London Agreement as an exemption to the above described validation procedure
The London Agreement is an optional agreement concluded to reduce the costs relating to the translation of European patents.
The EPC contracting states which have ratified or acceded to the Agreement undertake to waive, entirely or largely, the requirement for translations of European patents.
Under the London Agreement:
A state which has an official language in common with one of the official languages of the EPO shall dispense entirely with the translation requirements
This provision currently applies to the following states:
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Monaco
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
A state which does not have an official language in common with one of the official languages of the EPO shall dispense with the translation requirements if the European patent has been granted in the official language of the EPO prescribed by that State, or translated into that language and supplied under the conditions provided for in the EPC. These states may however require that a translation of the claims into one of their official languages be supplied.
The following states require that the claims be supplied in their official language:
- Albania (Albanian)
- Croatia (Croatian)
- Denmark (Danish)
- Finland (Finnish)
- Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Macedonian)
- Hungary (Hungarian)
- Iceland (Icelandic)
- Latvia (Latvian)
- Lithuania (Lithuanian)
- Netherlands (Dutch)
- Norway (Norwegian)
- Sweden (Swedish)
- Slovenia (Slovene)
The above states dispense with further translation requirements if the European patent has been granted in an official language of the EPO prescribed by them, or translated into that language and supplied under the conditions provided for in the EPC.
The following states have prescribed English:
- Albania
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Finland
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
In Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, the European patent may also be supplied in the national language.
The following states have not prescribed any language of the London Agreement:
- Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Slovenia
