As of 1 November 2015, European Patents can be validated in the Republic of Moldova. This follows an agreement signed by the President of the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Director General of the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova.

The agreement means that European Patents validated in Moldova will have the same rights and legal status as national patents granted in Moldova. The addition of Moldova as a validation state follows Morocco, which joined earlier this year, with Tunisia expected to follow once an agreement has been ratified.

Validation is available for European or International applications filed on or after the date the agreement enters into force. A validation fee must be paid to the EPO within six months of the publication of the European Search Report, or in the case of PCT applications, within the period for performing the acts required for an International application’s entry into the European regional phase, currently 31 months from priority.

Certain post-grant procedures will be necessary in Moldova, although details of these have not yet been finalised.

This brings the number of countries where European Patents can be validated to 42, with 38 EPO member states, two validation states (Republic of Moldova and Morocco) and two extension states (Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro).

If you would like more information about validation in the Republic of Moldova, please contact us.