European patent validation agreement signed with Tunisia

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and Kamel Ben Naceur, Tunisian Minister for Industry, Energy and Mines, have signed an agreement on the validation of European patents for Tunisia.

Under the terms of the agreement, signed in Munich on 3 July, European patent applicants and proprietors will be able to validate the legal effects of their European patents and applications on Tunisian territory, even though Tunisia is not an EPO member state. Validated European patent applications and patents will have the same legal effect as Tunisian national applications and patents, and will be subject only to Tunisian patent legislation. The agreement has to be ratified before it can enter into force.