PATENTS Background; The Patent Specification; Filing a Patent Application; Ownership of Patents; Foreign Applications; European Patents; Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT); The Paris Convention; First Publication; The Granted Patent; Product Marking; Summary of Stages of Progress of typical British Patent Application.
	European Patents In order to obtain protection in Europe, it is possible either to apply nationally in each country; however, if three or more countries are to be covered, it is more cost effective to apply for a European patent which may cover one or more of the following countries:- Austria Greece Slovakia Belgium Hungary Slovenia Bulgaria Ireland Spain Cyprus Italy Sweden Czech Republic Luxembourg Switzerland (incl Liechtenstein) Denmark Monaco Turkey Estonia Netherlands United Kingdom Finland Poland France Portugal Germany Romania In addition, a European patent may be extended to:- Albania Latvia Lithuania The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia The European patent application passes through a common examination process at the European Patent Office but, once the patent application has been allowed by the European Patent Office, it is split into a bundle of national patents in the designated countries. Thereafter it is treated as a national patent and is subject to national law. literature associated with the product, mentions the fact that the product is patented, and quotes the patent number. It is recommended therefore that products are marked with the appropriate patent numbers. If the product itself is not susceptible to having these details printed on it, then the literature and/or packaging associated with the product should be marked. If the patent is not yet granted, care should be taken not to state or imply that it is granted, but there is no objection to quoting the patent application number, provided it is made clear that the number being quoted is an application number, and not a patent number. For patents in chemistry, metallurgy, biochemistry and biotechnology, contact Stephen Wilkinson in our Bristol office. For patents in physics, electrical engineering, general engineering and computing, contact Chris Boydell or Sarah Perkins in our London office or David Marles in our Bristol office.