As of 1 March 2018, a validation agreement between the EPO and the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia will enter into force, by which it will be possible to validate European patents in said Asian country.
Validation shall be requested by the applicant and will be only available for European or international applications filed on or after the above-mentioned date. The validation fee, 180 €, must be paid to the EPO within six months of the date on which the European Patent Bulletin mentions the publication of the European search report, or, where applicable, when entering the European regional phase.
Cambodia thus becomes the first Asian country to recognise European patents on its territory, bringing to 44 the number of states where an invention can be protected through the European examination and grant procedure.
The official announcement was published on the EPO website.
