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Future member states
Introduction
Future EPO member states are states that plan to accede to the European Patent Convention (EPC), as well as states that recognise the validity of European patents via an extension agreement with the EPO.
List of current and future member states.
Objectives/strategy
The project aims to assist future member states before and while joining the EPC.
The entire body of European laws is known as the acquis communautaire. This includes all the treaties, regulations and directives issued by the European institutions, as well as judgments delivered by the European Court of Justice. Candidate countries must adopt, implement and enforce the entire acquis before being allowed to join the EU. The EPO helps national offices to implement the acquis, particularly EU-funded projects in the fields of industrial and intellectual property.
Activities
The various projects include:
- co-ordinating relations between the national offices of future member states and the EPO;
- defining and implementing annual activities to help increase the national offices’ capacity to administer and grant patents. This includes inviting employees to events organised by the EPO’s training body, the European Patent Academy, as well as organising local training activities customised to individual needs;
- developing standards compatible with those of the EPO;
- supporting national offices in developing an industrial property framework in their own country and, in particular, fostering relations with local EU delegations.
Milestones
Bilaterally funded projects include:
- EPOQUENet Norway – allowing Norway access to the EPO’s databases;
- EPOQUENet Croatia – allowing Croatia access to the EPO’s databases;
- Regular participation in training events organised by the European Patent Academy.
EU-funded projects:
- 2003-2006: working with the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) to implement the Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation (CARDS) 2002 regional project, entitled “Industrial and Intellectual Property Rights”. The project benefits five Western Balkan countries, plus Kosovo, and includes legal and technical assessments and legal harmonisation;
- 2005-2007: co-operating with OHIM to implement the CARDS 2003 national project, called “Strengthening the Intellectual Property Implementation” for the State Intellectual Property Office of Croatia. The project includes numerous training activities, as well as setting up a national server for esp@cenet, the EPO’s online access to its patent database, in Croatian;
- 2005-2007: implementing the CARDS 2004 national project entitled “Technical assistance to the Intellectual Property Office of Serbia and Montenegro” for the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in Belgrade. The project brings the IPO’s technical infrastructure into line with Western European standards and aims to digitalise the patent collections, which currently only exist in paper form.
Contacts
Pascal Phlix,
Co-ordinator and Project Leader, CARDS national Serbia & Montenegro
Hans-Hermann Giese,
Project Leader, CARDS regional
David Jelercic,
Project Leader, CARDS national Croatia
Diane Lörz,
Project Assistant
Jeanette Thornewill,
Project Assistant
Walburga Krüger,
Finance - EU funded projects
Aynur Durak,
Finance - EU funded projects