Laurie Axford on the London Agreement to Reduce Translation Costs for Validating Granted European Patents
Following ’s ratification of the London Agreement in January, the Agreement is slated to take effect on May 1, 2008. Laurie Axford discusses the Agreement, which will reduce translation costs for validating granted European Patents by as much as half. Ms. Axford writes:
The London Agreement will enter into force on 1 May 2008. It will reduce translation costs for validating granted European Patents by as much as one half, which is a significant cost savings for applicants wishing to validate their granted European patents in several European Community member states. The groundwork for this agreement was laid out during the intergovernmental conference of European Patent Organization member states convened by in June 1999.
The three working languages of the European Patent Office (EPO) are English, German and French. Presently, granted European patent claims are translated into all three of these languages. Additional translation costs depend on the number of EPO member states in which the patent owner wishes to validate the European patent. For a 20 page patent specification validated in ten countries that require translations, the cost might be upwards of $40,000, which is a significant expense for an individual inventor or a small business entity.
The London Agreement eliminates the requirement for translations of patent specifications at the validation stage in all countries that have signed the Agreement, although translations of the claims may continue to be required. However, the London Agreement is not mandatory for all EPO member states. Accordingly, validations in non-agreement countries will still require full translations.