Finland joins London Agreement on translation requirements for European patents

Finland has become the latest European Patent Convention-contracting state to accede to the London Agreement.  From 1 November 2011, it will no longer be necessary to file a full translation of a European patent specification into Finnish after the grant of the European Patent.
This move will be welcomed by many clients who need cost effective European patent coverage in Finland. 
Seventeen European countries have now given effect to the London Agreement.

John Dean
Life Sciences & Chemistry Group

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Previous London Agreement Stories

Hungary accedes to London agreement on translation requirements for European Patents

28th October, 2010

As expected Hungary has acceded to the London Agreement removing the requirement for a translation into Hungarian of the whole patent specification after grant of a European patent. Sixteen countries have now given effect to the London Agreement. This move will further reduce the costs of bringing European patents into effect in Europe.
48.6% of European patents designate Hungary according to latest EPO statistics.

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Hungary and Lithuania sign up to the London Agreement

16th June, 2009

Hungary and Lithuania have recently acceded to the London Agreement. Entry into force in Hungary is expected on 1 January 2011. 

After the entry into force of the London Agreement, Hungary will no longer require a full translation of European patent specifications.  Hungary will continue to require a translation of the claims into Hungarian at the time of grant.  The London Agreement entered into force in Lithuania on 1 May 2009.  However, Lithuania has already modified its translation requirements to bring it into line with the London Agreement.  Therefore there will be no change in translation practice in Lithuania and only a translation of the claims will be required.

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London Agreement to Enter into Force on 1 May 2008

1st February, 2008

As we have previously reported (see our earlier article) the London Agreement will significantly reduce patenting costs in Europe by reducing the post-grant translational requirements in many European countries.

The final step required to ensure that the agreement will be bought into force was for France to deposit its instrument of ratification with the German Ministry of Justice. This was done on 29 January. The agreement actually enters into force on the first day of the fourth month following that deposit, i.e. on 1 May.

The cost savings will depend upon which European countries the finally granted Patent is to be validated in and the length of the specification, but typically will be several thousand Euros.
However, in general, the agreement only affects the validation of European Patent Applications that have not been granted before 1 May.

There will be currently pending Patent Applications which in the normal course of events will grant before 1 May. However, it may be possible to take steps to delay grant and hence to take advantage of the cost savings. The delaying tactics used will inevitably be case specific so please contact Withers & Rogers LLP if you require advice on the options available to delay grant of your case.

The transitional provisions in some countries means that in some cases the translation may not be required even if the patent is granted before 1 May and we can advise on this point also.

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London Agreement: Major Reduction in European Patent Costs on track for 2008

18th October, 2007

Last week a bill was passed by the French Senate so that France can now, finally, ratify the London Agreement. It is now expected that the London Agreement will enter into force around Europe in 2008 - perhaps as early as April.  We are pleased to report to our clients and professional colleagues that this should lead to a major reduction in European patent costs. 

The European Patent Office provides the main route for obtaining patent protection in Europe for most of our clients. A major part of the costs of obtaining European patents are the "validation costs" incurred when translating the full patent specification into local languages at the time of grant and then filing the translations in national patent offices. We have reported recently on progress towards reducing the translation burden on applicants for European patents and, in particular, the developments in France in relation to implementing the so called “London Agreement” which will significantly reduce that translation burden around Europe.

Implementation of the London Agreement is likely to have several consequences in Europe and we will be advising clients on the practical effects in the coming months. At present we can say that in relation to European cases that we prosecute in English, European validation costs are likely to be significantly reduced in at least Germany, France, Iceland, Latvia, Monaco, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Switzerland/Liechtenstein. The list of such countries is likely to increase as more countries sign up to the London Agreement. As a result of the reduction in translation costs, it is likely that patent applicants will be able to reduce their European patent costs. Some clients may now choose to validate European patents in more countries for the same budget as now. Finally, as a translation of the full patent specification into a local language will only be required in the event of an infringement situation, a translation can be produced with the infringement in mind.

For specific comment on the consequences of the London Agreement please contact your usual Withers & Rogers patent attorney.