Are European patents the same as European patents?

European patents are different from European patents. European patents refer to invention patents, while EU patents generally refer to EU appearance patents.

1. EU appearance

EU appearance patents protect the appearance of products, and the scope of rights protection covers 27 EU member states.

EU member countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

2. European patents

European patents protect inventions, products or corresponding methods, and the scope of rights protection includes but is not limited to EU member states.

At present, European patents can take effect in 42 countries, including 38 member countries of the European Patent Convention, 2 extension countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro), Morocco and Moldova.