The aim of these articles is to keep our Clients and Associates updated about developments in the sector of Intellectual Property in general and our firm in particular. In this way, we wish to provide a broader view of the tools that the field of trade marks, domain names, patents, designs and related rights offers to entrepreneurs to enhance and protect their efforts in researching and developing new solutions and ideas.
EPO Further Expands the List of Validation Countries with the Addition of Costa Rica
Since 2010 the European Patent Office (EPO) has signed validation agreements with third countries that are not members of the European Patent Organisation. Thanks to these agreements, it is possible to obtain a patent in such third countries based on a single European patent application, thus eliminating the need to file corresponding national patents in said countries.
The most recent of such agreements is the one dated 13 December 2024 with Costa Rica, which is the first country in the Americas to join the EPO’s validation system, and brings the number of non-EPO validation states to seven, the other states being Morocco, Moldova, Tunisia, Cambodia, Georgia and Laos.
As a result of this agreement, which will become effective upon enactment of the necessary legislation, granted European patents validated in Costa Rica will have the same status and effect as Costa Rica national patents.
The EPO agreement with Costa Rica, offering simpler, more streamlined patent protection, opens up new possibilities for applicant businesses with interests in said country and might hopefully be a trailblazer for other American countries, especially those which for the last few years have been experiencing strong growth in innovation.