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Patents
FRANCE
France : green light for London agreement at the first level
In September, the French Constitutional Council announced that the introduction of the London Agreement involves no conflict with the French Constitution. This represents yet another step towards the implementation of the London Agreement.
The Council's decision paves the way for the approval of the London Agreement by the French Parliament and President.
In brief, approval by the French of the London Agreement would reduce the cost of patents for European companies. The aim of the Agreement is to reduce the costs resulting from the requirement for a European patent to be translated to achieve validity in the EPC states. All states do, however, have the right to demand translation of the actual patent application into their official language.
For the London Agreement to take effect, it must be ratified by Germany, the United Kingdom and France, as well as five other EPC member states. So far, ten countries have signed the Agreement: Germany, the UK, Iceland, Monaco, Sweden, Denmark, Slovenia, Latvia, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
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