From 1 December 2017, Tunisia will become a validation state of the European Patent Convention. This means that European patent applications filed after this date can be validated in Tunisia once granted, which will result in them having the same legal effects as Tunisian national patents and being subject to Tunisian patent law.

The validation agreement between the European Patent Office and the Tunisian Patent Office means there are now 43 countries that can be protected through the European patent system – the single European examination and grant procedure. Tunisia is the third non-European Patent Organisation member state to enter and ratify into this kind of agreement, after Morocco and the Republic of Moldova came to similar arrangements.

The agreement aims to encourage more filings and greater investment in Tunisia by making it easier for companies and inventors to extend the scope of their patent protection.

If you would like to discuss filing a European patent application which would cover Tunisia, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your usual contact at Wilson Gunn. Alternatively, feel free to contact one of our patent attorneys.