Sub Navigation
Promotion
Publications
History
Over 20 states met at a diplomatic conference in Munich in 1973 to discuss the introduction of a European patent grant procedure. The conference concluded with the signing of the European Patent Convention by 16 participants. Four years later, on 7 October 1977, the Convention came into force.With the legal framework in place, the European Patent Office in Munich began its work as a granting authority. On 1 June 1978 the first applicants filed for European patent protection. In that same year the Office expanded to include sites in Berlin and The Hague, originally the seat of the International Patent Institute. By 1979, 10 000 European applications had been filed. The EPO granted its first patents in 1980.
The filing figures reflect the rapid development of the Office: the 100 000th application was filed in 1983 and nine years later the total was 500 000. 1998 say filing figures reach the million mark.
The Vienna site was established at the start of the nineties, incorporating the former International Patent Documentation Center already located in the Austrian capital. A small EPO liaison office was also opened in Brussels to build up relations with the European Commission. A further 12 states have acceded to the European Patent Convention since 2002 alone - a testimony to the strength of the European patent system.