Cambodia is set to become the first Asian country to allow European patent applicants to request extension of validity to its territory, a major simplification and acceleration of obtaining patent rights in the Kingdom. The agreement signed between the European Patent Office and the Cambodian Ministry of Industry and Handicraft is scheduled to enter into force on July 1st, 2017, presuming it is adopted into Cambodian law.
"The new validation agreement with Cambodia is positive news for the development of the European patent system," said EPO President Benoît Battistelli. "It extends its attractiveness beyond the European market and its immediate neighbourhood. The recognition of the European patent by an Asian country demonstrates its global impact, also in the context of a least-developed economy."
Only three other countries (Morocco, Moldova, and Tunisia) have signed such validation agreements, though Tunisia is still waiting to put it into force.
It should be noted that pharmaceutical patents will likely be excluded from protection during a transitional period.
For more information, please visit the European Patent Office site.