INFORMATION FROM THE CONTRACTING / EXTENSION STATES
GB United Kingdom
Registration of European patents (UK) in overseas states or territories (Situation as of February 1992)*
The Department of Trade and Industry, Industrial Property and Copyright Department (IPCD), London, has supplied the following information (not necessarily obtained from official sources) regarding registration of European patents (UK) in overseas states or territories which register UK national patents.
1. The following states or territories have amended their legislation to permit registration of European patents (UK):
Anguilla
Belize
Cayman Islands
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Hong Kong
Jersey
St. Vincent
Turks and Caicos
Tuvalu
Virgin Islands (British)
2. The following states or territories register European patents (UK) under their existing laws and do not at present intend to amend their law:
Bahrain
Bermuda
Botswana
Brunei
Fiji
*Gambia
Ghana
*Grenada
St. Lucia
Singapore
*Solomon Islands
Swaziland
*Trinidad and Tobago
Vanuatu
*Western Samoa
*Yemen1
3. The following states or territories have indicated a positive intention to amend their laws and, according to current information, are at present registering European patents (UK):
Cyprus (Nicosia)
St. Christopher (St. Kitts) Nevis2
Sierra Leone
*Tanzania3
*Tanganyika3
*Zanzibar3
Uganda
4. In addition to the above, according to current information the following states or territories are registering European patents (UK):
Guyana
Kiribati
Seychelles
5. European Patents (UK) are not registered at present in the following states or territories:
Guernsey
*Kenya
*Montserrat4
*St. Helena
6. The following states or territories have given no indication of their intentions in this regard:
*Antigua
Dominica
*Lesotho
*Malaysia
*Sabah
*Sarawak
*Somalia
7. Barbados and Jamaica have an independent patent system and make no provision for registration of UK national patents or European patents (UK).
* Further to the information published in OJ EPO 1988, 194. Changes as against this information are indicated by an asterisk.
1 Information from official sources and from unofficial (i.e. agents) sources appear to conflict as to the situation pertaining in Yemen. The former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) - North Yemen -and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) - South Yemen - have recently been unified. According to official sources UK patents, including European patents (UK), can still be registered in Aden and will now extend to the entire unified Republic of Yemen. It is unclear as to whether the same situation applies to a patent registered in Sana'a. Therefore, it is advisable that any applications for registration are filed in Aden rather than in Sana'a.
2 Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which together form the state of Tanzania, require separate registrations.
3 Although confirmation has been received that it is intended to amend the law to permit registration of European patents (UK), no confirmation exists that European patents (UK) may currently be registered.
4 Montserrat has informed the UK Patent Office of its intention to amend its legislation to permit registration of European patents (UK) in the future.