By extending protection by up to five and a half years, SPCs are one of the most valuable forms of intellectual property
Many European states offer SPCs despite not being members of the European Union. The following table summarises our best understanding of where SPCs are available across Europe, as well as highlighting which of these states are in the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) and those states that are available from the EPO.
| Code | State | EU? | EEA? | EPC contracting state? | Covered by EMA? | SPCs available? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT | Austria | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| BE | Belgium | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| BG | Bulgaria | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| HR | Croatia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CY | Cyprus | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CZ | Czech Republic | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| DK | Denmark | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| EE | Estonia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| FI | Finland | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| FR | France | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| DE | Germany | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| GR | Greece | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| HU | Hungary | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| IE | Ireland | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| IT | Italy | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| LV | Latvia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| LT | Lithuania | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| LU | Luxembourg | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| MT | Malta | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| NL | Netherlands | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| PL | Poland | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| PT | Portugal | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| RO | Romania | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| SK | Slovakia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| SI | Slovenia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| ES | Spain | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| SE | Sweden | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| UK | United Kingdom | N¹ | N¹ | Y | Y² | Y |
| LI | Liechtenstein | N | Y | Y⁶ | Y | Y⁶ |
| NO | Norway | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| IS | Iceland | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CH | Switzerland | N | N | Y⁶ | N | Y⁶ |
| MK | Republic of North Macedonia | N³ | N | Y | N | Y |
| AL | Albania | N³ | N | Y | N | Y |
| BA | Bosnia and Herzegovina | N³ | N | EXT | N | Y |
| KS | Republic of Kosovo | N⁴ | N | N | N | Y |
| ME⁵ | Montenegro | N³ | N | Y | N | N |
| RS⁵ | Serbia | N³ | N | Y | N | Y |
| MC | Monaco | N | N | Y | N | N |
| TR | Turkey | N³ | N | Y | N | N |
| SM | San Marino | N | N | Y | N | N |
| MD | Moldova | N³ | N | VAL | N | Y |
| GE | Georgia | N⁴ | N | VAL | N | Y |
| MA | Morocco | N | N | VAL | N | N⁷ |
| TN | Tunisia | N | N | VAL | N | N |
| KH | Cambodia | N | N | VAL | N | N |
| HK | Hong Kong | N | N | N⁸ | N | N |
Key
- The UK is no longer a member of the EU, but has largely retained EU law in relation to SPCs as discussed here
- Authorisations granted by the EMA before 2021 still take effect in the UK as a whole. EMA authorisations granted from 2021 onwards will take effect in part of the UK only, due to the special arrangements for Northern Ireland
- As an EU “candidate country”, it is not part of the EU yet but it is negotiating (or waiting to start negotiating) EU membership terms
- As an EU “potential candidate country”, it has been promised the prospect of joining when it is ready
- Formerly the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (YU)
- A patent or SPC in Switzerland also takes effect in Liechtenstein
- While Morocco does not have an SPC system, we understand that in some situations patent term extensions are available
- Patents in Hong Kong can be obtained via a filing at the EPO
EXT: EPO Extension state
VAL: EPO Validation state
Need Advice?
For more information, please contact [email protected].
This information provides a summary of the subject matter only. It should not be acted on without first seeking professional advice.
