By Donald Zuhn --
The European Patent Office (EPO) announced today that the London Agreement will go into force as of May 1, 2008. Under the London Agreement, which was adopted last fall (nearly seven years after being ratified by the Agreement's initial signatories), certain EPC contracting states have agreed to waive the requirement for translations of granted European patents in their national language, and will now accept specifications of granted patents in one of the three official EPO languages (i.e., English, French, or German). A state having a national language other than English, French, or German may require a translation of the granted claims in that state's national language. According to the EPO, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark will require that granted claims be supplied in their national languages. By reducing a large portion of the costs associated with registering a European patent in the various member states -- the EPO estimates that translations can constitute up to 40% of overall patent costs -- the Agreement should significantly reduce the expense of patenting in Europe.
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