European patents require 'validation' in the specific European countries in which the patentee wants the patent to take effect. To date this has been an expensive step, because each country has required that a complete translation of the patent specification is filed in an official language of the country. The high cost of this translation step has detered many patentees from either filing European patents at all, or from validating their European patents in more than a handful of European countries.
This is set to change with the coming into force of the London Agreement on 1 May 2008. Countries which are party to the agreement will either completely waive the translation requirement, or introduce a less demanding translation requirement.
At the present time, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland/ Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Monaco have completely waived any  requirement to file a translation.
Croatia, Denmark, Iceland, and the Netherlands require that the claims of the European patent are translated into their official languages, and the patent description (ie, the remainder of the patent specification) should be supplied in English. Clearly, this is particularly advantageous if the original application was filed in English.
Latvia and Slovenia require  that the claims of the European patent are translated into their official languages, but a translation of the patent description is not required.
Sweden intends to become party to the London Agreement by 1 May 2008. Other European countries may follow suit, but even with the current take-up it is clear that significant cost savings are available.
The coming into force of the London Agreement is to be welcomed by patentees. In general, European patents offer an excellent 'economy of scale' because a single application can give rise to patent rights in a large number of European countries. It is unfortunate that the high cost of translations at the validation stage has made the European patent system less attractive economically, and the London Agreement is a significant step in the right direction.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the London Agreement or advice on how the agreement might affect your European patent applications.