Law amendment simplifies patent procedure in Belgium

On January 1, 2017 new rules for validation of a European patent in Belgium entered into force.

Once a European patent is granted, for each of the designated countries where protection is sought, a validation procedure needs to be followed. In some countries, this validation procedure is merely a formality. Other countries demand a translation of the European patent into the official language of the country. Until recently, for Belgium this meant a translation into one of the three official languages (Dutch, French or German). The amendment of the law means that for the validation in Belgium of a European patent, the translation into an official language is no longer required. Because of this, to obtain a Belgian patent on the basis of a European patent will be less expensive and thus an accessible choice for Belgian universities and spin-offs.