Extension of European patents to Serbia and Montenegro

On 26 November 2001, the President of the European Patent Office and the Federal Minister of Economy and Internal Trade of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia signed an agreement on co-operation in the field of patents (Co-operation and Extension Agreement).

This agreement enters into force on 1 November 2004. From this date it will be possible to extend the protection conferred by European patent applications and patents to Serbia and Montenegro (formerly known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). Extended European patent applications and patents will enjoy essentially the same protection in Serbia and Montenegro as the patents granted by the EPO for the currently 29 member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom) of the European Patent Organisation.

Extenxion occurs at the applicant's request. Extension of European Patents is now possible to Albania, Croatia, Latvia and to Serbia and Montenegro.

Further information will be published on the homepage of the European Patent Office respectively in the Official Journal of the European Patent Office.