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>[01.Jul.09]
Patents – San Marino accedes to the European
Patent Organization
Source: European Patent Office [Adapted]
The Republic of San Marino
has acceded to the European Patent Organisation. This
means that as of 01.Jul.2009, it is possible to file
for patent protection in San Marino through a European
patent.
The other contracting
states of the European Patent Organisation are all of
the 27 European Union member states plus Croatia, the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Monaco, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Although not
members yet, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania
also recognise European patent applications and patents
on their territory. European patents are therefore valid
in 39 countries and reach a market of about 570 million
people - making it the largest transnational patent
system in the world.
The European Patent
Office (EPO) applies a centralised procedure to examine
European patent applications for the Organisation's
member states. Thus applicants may obtain patent protection
in as many of the countries above listed as they designate
on the basis of a single application.
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