Patents

As of 1 January 2007 a European patent application can designate any one or more of the following EPC contracting states Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland/Liechtenstein, Turkey and United Kingdom and can be extended to cover the following so-called extension states Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

In order to file a European application (which application can be filed at the UK Patent Office) and establish a filing date we need the following:

• Full name, address and nationality of applicant(s)
• Full details of the invention or a copy of specification, claims, abstract and drawings to be filed
• Number, country and date of priority application(s)
  (if applicable)

In due course, to complete the filing requirements we will need:

• The EPC contracting states to be designated and the extension states to be included
• Details of the inventor(s) and the applicant's right to apply (e.g. date of an assignment)
• Certified copy of priority document (unless filed at the Japanese Patent Office) and verified translation
  (if applicable)
• Formal drawings if not initially provided.