National law relating to the EPC

22nd edition / July 2023

The booklet entitled "National law relating to the EPC" provides a concise guide to the most important provisions and requirements of the relevant national law in EPC contracting, extension and validation states.

It is essentially a guide to the law and practice of the EPC contracting, extension and validation states on European patent applications and patents. The synopses given in its tables have been prepared in close co‑operation with the authorities of the respective states.

Available formats

National law relating to the EPC is published in English, French and German and is available in electronic format only.

HTML version

This version is regularly updated and optimised for online use.

Select Show modifications to view amendments. The check box is disabled for unamended sections.

PDF files

The PDF file contains the latest printable edition. This is the best version to use for browsing the entire text offline and for full-text searching.

An updated list of current bank accounts of national patent offices has been extracted from Part VIII of the booklet.

Disclaimer

The tables have been drawn up with great care, but their completeness and accuracy cannot be guaranteed. They are very concise, focusing on the essentials, and are therefore no substitute for consulting the national legal sources themselves and seeking professional advice where appropriate.

Updates

National patent law and practice are not static; they are changing and developing all the time. You may therefore wish to consult the official publications of the contracting, extension and validation states to make sure that the legal provisions summarised in the tables – and especially the fee amounts given – are still up to date.

The EPO will continue to provide regular updates in its Official Journal about legal developments in the contracting, extension and validation states. It also updates the online version of this publication whenever it learns of any changes at national level.

Feedback on this edition

Please send suggestions for additions or improvements at any time of the year to international_legal_affairs@epo.org.