October 2010
As we first reported back in 2008, the welcome introduction of the London Agreement drastically reduced the translation requirements - and thus the associated costs - in the European states that are parties to the agreement.
Hungary has now become the 16th European state to join the London Agreement. Accordingly, for any European patents granted in English after 1 January 2011, only a Hungarian translation of the claims will now be required in order for the patent to take effect in Hungary.
An overview of the current translation requirements in the London Agreement member states is as follows:
No translation required: UK, France, Germany, Monaco, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg.
Translation of the claims only: Croatia, Iceland, Latvia, Netherlands, Slovenia, Denmark, Sweden and Lithuania.
Although Albania and Macedonia are not members of the London Agreement, they also only require a translation of the claims.
Hungary’s welcome accession to the London Agreement will reduce still further the cost of validating a European patent in member states. We expect yet more European member states to join in the future and will keep you updated.
In the meantime, for more information on the translation requirements of a European patent, please ask your usual contact at Forresters.