Simplified Post-Grant Validation of European Patents in Belgium from 1 January 2017

Legislation has recently been passed in Belgium which removes the requirement to file a translation of a European patent that is granted in English.

Currently, it is necessary to file a translation (into French, German or Dutch) of the entire European patent specification in order to validate an English-language European patent in Belgium. This has made validation in Belgium relatively expensive, particularly if the patent specification is long.

The legislation to remove this translation requirement is therefore very welcome as it will make validating patents in Belgium significantly cheaper for English-language applicants. Given that the great majority of European patents are prosecuted in the English language, it could result in more European patents being validated in Belgium.