San Marino accedes to the European Patent Convention

On 21 April 2009, the Government of the Republic of San Marino (SM) deposited its instrument of accession to the European Patent Convention (EPC).

The EPC will accordingly enter into force for San Marino on 1 July 2009.

The European Patent Organisation will thus comprise the following 36 member states from 1 July 2009:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Further information concerning the effects of this accession and the provisions which San Marino has enacted or will enact for the implementation of the EPC will be published on the homepage of the European Patent Office respectively in the Official Journal of the European Patent Office.