EPC 2000

European patent law
European Patent
Organisation
European Union
Eurasian Patent
Organization
Centralization
and harmonization
Historical proposals

The EPC 2000 or European Patent Convention 2000 is the version of the European Patent Convention (EPC) as revised by the Act Revising the Convention on the Grant of European Patents signed in Munich on November 29, 2000. On June 28, 2001, the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation adopted the final new text of the EPC 2000. The EPC 2000 entered into force on December 13, 2007.[1]

The EPC 2000 does not introduce any major changes in substantive patent law,[2][3] except changes concerning novelty,[4] industrial applicability and priority rights. The EPC 2000 is however a comprehensive revision [5] introducing "a considerable number of smaller amendments".[2]

  1. ^ European Patent Office (EPO) web site, Frequently asked questions about the revised European Patent Convention (EPC 2000) Archived 2009-10-14 at the Wayback Machine, item 2. Consulted on October 31, 2007.
  2. ^ a b EPO, EPC 2000 and its impact for patent searchers, Patent Information News, Issue 1, 2007, page 1.
  3. ^ EPO web site, Frequently asked questions about the revised European Patent Convention (EPC 2000) Archived 2009-10-14 at the Wayback Machine, item 9. Consulted on October 31, 2007.
  4. ^ Deletion of Article 54(4) EPC 1973, regarding the prior art effect of conflicting European patent applications.
  5. ^ EPO web site, Frequently asked questions about the revised European Patent Convention (EPC 2000) Archived 2009-10-14 at the Wayback Machine, item 1. Consulted on October 31, 2007.