Validation of European Patents in Laos
The European Patent Office has announced that the validation agreement with Laos signed in May 2024 will enter into force on 1 April 2025. From this date, it will be possible to obtain protection in 46 countries by means of a single European patent:
- The single remaining Extension State (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Six Validation States (Morocco, Moldova, Tunisia, Cambodia, Georgia and Laos)
A validation agreement was recently signed with Costa Rica, and preparations are currently underway to bring this into force.
To have a European patent take effect in any of the extension and validation states a fee is payable for each desired state within six months of publication of the European search report (usually around a year after filing). If the validation/extension fees are paid, then the European patent will come into force in those countries for which the post-grant formalities are completed.
The decision regarding in which countries to bring a European patent into force and how best to achieve this will be different for different applicants depending on their commercial needs. Please contact us for further advice on this.
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