The European Patent Convention (EPC), or originally the Convention on the grant of European patents, is an international treaty creating a unified framework for obtaining and protecting patents in several European countries. It aims to simplify the process of filing and managing patents by allowing applicants to seek protection in several European countries with a single application.
The EPC was established in 1973 and is administered by the European Patent Office (EPO), an independent intergovernmental organisation. It currently has 39 member states, making it one of the most extensive patent systems in the world.
One of the main advantages of the EPC is the possibility of filing a single patent application that will be examined and granted by the EPO and then validated in the countries designated by the applicant. This significantly reduces the costs and procedures involved in obtaining patent protection in several European countries.
The EPC also establishes common criteria for the patentability of inventions, such as novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability. These criteria ensure a degree of uniformity in the examination of patent applications in all EPC member states.
The European Patent Convention and the European patent have made it possible to provide an efficient and consistent means of obtaining and protecting patents in several European countries, thereby facilitating innovation and economic development in the region.