April 2010
On 1 May 2010 Albania will become the 37th member state of the European Patent Organisation (EPO). European patents filed after 1 May 2010 can designate Albania.
The EPO is the largest trans-national patent organisation in the world. The member states will be:
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom.
You can also extend a European patent to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, if you elect these states when you file the application.
If you would like more information, please let us know. You can find our attorneys’ contact details here.