ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL
Decisions of the Administrative Council
Decision of the Administrative Council of 15 December 1994 concerning the reduction of the fees for the international search and preliminary examination carried out on an international application in favour of the nationals of central and eastern European states and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
THE ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN PATENT ORGANISATION,
Having regard to the European Patent Convention, and in particular Article 33, paragraph 2(d), thereof,
Having regard to the Rules relating to Fees
On a proposal from the President of the European Patent Office,
Having regard to the opinion of the Budget and Finance Committee,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
(1) The fees for the international search and the preliminary examination carried out on an international application under Article 2, items 2 and 19, of the Rules relating to Fees shall be reduced by 75% if the international application has been filed with the competent receiving Office by a national of Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia or a member of the CIS ("the reform states").
(2) This decision shall apply if the central industrial property office or other competent authority of the state concerned so requests in a communication addressed to the President of the European Patent Office. The President of the European Patent Office shall specify the date from which this decision shall apply.
Article 2
For the purposes of this decision, "national of a reform state" shall mean any natural person possessing the nationality of the country concerned under its law and any legal person established in accordance with the law of that country, having its principal place of business in one of the reform states and in which natural or legal persons who are not nationals of, or who have their residence or principal place of business outside the reform states have neither a direct nor indirect holding.
Article 3
The fee reduction under Article 1 shall be granted at the applicant's request. Where there is more than one applicant, the reduction shall be granted only if all the applicants are nationals of a reform state. When making the request, the applicant must declare that he fulfils the requirements of Article 2. The authority to which the fee is payable shall decide on the request.
Article 4
Upon the accession of a reform state to the European Patent Convention, this decision shall no longer apply to applications filed on or after the date of accession.
Article 5
This decision shall enter into force on 1 April 1995 and shall apply initially for a period of three years.
Done at Munich, 15 December 1994.
For the Administrative Council
The Chairman
Per Lund THOFT