French Senate approves London Agreement

On 9 October 2007, the French Senate voted to approve ratification of the London Agreement. This follows approval of the same legislation by the National Assembly on 26 September 2007, and means that the French Parliament has now authorised ratification.

Ratification must now be approved by the French President, Nicholas Sarkozy, before the official instrument of ratification is deposited. The Agreement will then take force in all countries which have ratified - including the UK, which ratified in 2005 - on the first day of the fourth month following deposit of this instrument by France.

The London Agreement is expected to significantly reduce the cost of applying for patents through the European Patent Office, by almost halving current translation costs associated with European patents. UK businesses are estimated to save £10 million every year by not having to file unnecessary patent translations, which currently account for 25% of the cost of a European patent application.

In the same session, the French Senate also approved ratification of the EPC 2000.

More information on the London Agreement and the EPC 2000 can be found on the website of the European Patent Office.