European Patent Convention (Epc)

European Patent Convention is an international treaty that created a unified procedure for obtaining patent protection in multiple European countries through a single patent application. The Convention entered into force in 1977 and established the legal framework for the European patent system.

The EPC is administered by the European Patent Organisation, whose executive body is the European Patent Office. Under the Convention, applicants may file a single European patent application, which is searched, examined, and granted through a centralized procedure before the EPO.

Once granted, a European patent may be validated or take effect in the designated EPC contracting states in accordance with the applicable national requirements. The EPC currently includes numerous member states across Europe and provides a highly efficient alternative to filing separate national patent applications in each country.

The European Patent Convention has become one of the world’s most significant regional patent systems and plays a central role in international patent protection, innovation policy, technology transfer, and intellectual property strategy.