The EPC established a unified patent-granting procedure across Europe, enabling inventors to seek patent protection in multiple countries through a single application.
Key Facts
- Signed
- 5 October 1973
- Treaty type
- Multilateral international treaty
- Primary office location
- Munich, Germany (EPO headquarters)
- Branch office
- The Hague, Netherlands
- Sub-office
- Berlin, Germany
- Filing languages
- Single language per application
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Before the EPC, inventors seeking patent protection across multiple European countries were required to file separate national applications in each jurisdiction, creating significant administrative burden, legal complexity, and cost. European states recognized the need for a harmonized regional patent system to streamline intellectual property protection and support economic integration.
On 5 October 1973, the Convention on the Grant of European Patents was signed, establishing the European Patent Organisation and the European Patent Office. The treaty created an autonomous legal framework under which a single patent application, filed in one language at the EPO in Munich, The Hague, Berlin, or a national office, could result in patent protection across all Contracting States.
The EPC enabled inventors and companies to obtain patent protection across multiple European countries through one harmonized procedure. Granted European patents, while not a single unitary right, function as a bundle of nationally enforceable patents subject to central opposition, limitation, or revocation procedures, simplifying enforcement and reducing duplication across national patent systems.
Political Outcome
The European Patent Convention entered into force, establishing the European Patent Organisation and a unified patent-granting procedure via the European Patent Office.
Patent protection required separate national applications in each European country
A single application to the EPO could secure patent rights across all Contracting States