"One of the purposes of the Patents Act 2004 was to bring UK patent law into line with the revised European Patent Convention, which was agreed by Diplomatic Conference in 2000. With the necessary legislation in place (although not yet in force), and with various formalities having been completed, the UK has now ratified the revised EPC.
It is the fourteenth EPC contracting state to do so. The revised EPC will take effect two years after the fifteenth state has ratified or acceded, or (if earlier) three months after the final state has ratified or acceded. It is therefore not likely to take effect before late 2007. The relevant provisions of the 2004 Act will be brought into force on the same day that the revised EPC takes effect. [...]"
For some explanations on the EPC 2000, consult the EPO website here.
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Dipl.-Phys. Axel H Horns is Patentanwalt (German Patent Attorney),
European Patent Attorney as well as European Trade Mark Attorney. In particular, he is Member of:
From the website of the UK-PTO:
