To understand the difference between a foreign patent and the European patent application procedure, it’s important to understand that a patent is an industrial property right that applies to a national territory.
Extending your patent to countries other than France
This means that a patent granted in France is not valid in the United States, even if it was granted in France. The PCT procedure makes it possible to postpone the choice of countries of extension by 18 months, and at this stage to address the patent application to the national offices concerned. For the USA, for example, this would be an application to the USPTO.
With the European patent, you can file your patent in 38 countries.
The European patent is valid for all member countries of the European Union, plus additional countries (Albania, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Macedonia, Norway, the United Kingdom, San Marino and Turkey). At the end of the grant procedure at theEuropean Patent Office (EPO), all 38 EPO member countries have an agreement allowing the European patent to be validated in their countries if the holder so wishes, enabling national patents to be obtained. The future unitary patent will enable 17 EU countries to obtain a single European title, avoiding the need to validate in each of these countries separately.
To apply for a European patent, you need to use the services of a European Patent Attorney. YesMyPatent is accredited by the EPO.
