Article 18

EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE

Information from the EPO

Notice from the European Patent Office dated 20 February 2020 concerning the reduction of the fees for the international search and the international preliminary examination carried out on international applications in favour of nationals of certain states

1. By decision of 12 December 20191, the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation revised the reduction scheme introduced in 20092 in respect of the fees for the international search and the international preliminary examination carried out on international applications filed by nationals of certain states.

2. Pursuant to Article 11(3)(iii) of the Agreement between the EPO and WIPO under the PCT3, Annex D of the agreement has been revised with effect from 1 April 2020 to take into account the decision of the Administrative Council.

3. The fees for the international search, the supplementary international search and the international preliminary examination carried out on international applications under Article 2, paragraph 1, items 2 and 19, of the Rules relating to Fees will be reduced by 75% if the international application, the request for supplementary international search or the demand for international preliminary examination is filed by an applicant:

− where said applicant or, if there are two or more applicants, each applicant is a natural person who is a national and resident of a state that is not party to the European Patent Convention and that, on the date of filing of the application or on the date of payment of the supplementary international search fee or of the international preliminary examination fee, is classified by the World Bank as a low-income or lower-middle-income economy as shown in Annex I to this notice

− where said applicant or, if there are two or more applicants, each applicant is a natural or legal person who, within the meaning of Rule 18 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty, is a national and resident of a state in which a validation agreement with the European Patent Organisation is in force.

4. Currently, the following states fall under the second category: Morocco (MA), the Republic of Moldova (MD), Tunisia (TN) and Cambodia (KH).

5. The present notice enters into force on 1 April 2020. The reduction of the international search fee applies to all international applications filed on or after 1 April 2020. The reduction of the supplementary international search fee or the international preliminary examination fee applies in respect of payments made on or after 1 April 2020.

ANNEX I

States classified as low-income and lower-middle-income economies by the World Bank (as of 1 July 2019) (in bold: PCT contracting states)

AF   Afghanistan

AO   Angola

BD   Bangladesh

BF   Burkina Faso

BI   Burundi

BJ   Benin

BO   Bolivia

BT   Bhutan

CD   Congo, Dem. Rep

CF   Central African Republic

CG   Congo

CI   Côte d'Ivoire

CM   Cameroon

CV   Cape Verde

DJ   Djibouti

EG   Egypt

ER   Eritrea

ET   Ethiopia

FM   Micronesia Fed. States

GH   Ghana

GM   Gambia

GN   Guinea

GW   Guinea-Bissau

HN   Honduras

HT   Haiti

ID   Indonesia

IN   India

KE   Kenya

KG   Kyrgyzstan

KH   Cambodia

KI   Kiribati

KM   Comoros

KP   DPR of Korea

LA   Lao PDR

LR   Liberia

LS   Lesotho

MA   Morocco

MD   Rep. of Moldova

MG   Madagascar

MM   Myanmar

ML   Mali

MN   Mongolia

MR   Mauritania

MW   Malawi

MZ   Mozambique

NE   Niger

NG   Nigeria

NI   Nicaragua

NP   Nepal

PG   Papua New Guinea

PH   Philippines

PK   Pakistan

RW   Rwanda

SB   Solomon Islands

SD   Sudan

SL   Sierra Leone

SN   Senegal

SO   Somalia

SS   South Sudan

ST   Sao Tomé & Principe

SV   El Salvador

SY   Syrian Arab Republic

SZ   Eswatini

TD   Chad

TG   Togo

TJ   Tajikistan

TL   Timor-Leste

TN   Tunisia

TZ   United Rep. of Tanzania

UA   Ukraine

UG   Uganda

UZ   Uzbekistan

VN   Vietnam

VU   Vanuatu

YE   Yemen

ZM   Zambia

ZW   Zimbabwe