Amendments to the Icelandic patent legislation and fee schedule

The Icelandic Patent Act and the patent fee schedule have recently been modified. The amendments have already come into effect on June 1, 2018, although the corresponding patent regulations have not been changed yet.

These modifications are primarily aimed at meeting the requirements of the European Regulations on the supplementary protection certificates (SPC) and their paediatric extensions. Besides, the amended Patent Act also clarifies the procedures relating to filing divisional applications, oppositions and restorations.

Furthermore, the applicants now have a possibility to obtain their patents with English specifications. However, the claims should also be translated into Icelandic, as the patent protection will cover only those features disclosed in both English and Icelandic claims.

The fee schedule has been slightly reestablished based on the changes in the Patent Act. This has resulted in new fees for filing an opposition, for paediatric extension of an SPC, and for reissuing a patent, when the correction of Icelandic translation of claims is needed.

With these amendments, the Icelandic Patent Office not only harmonises the country’s IP legislation but also makes it closer to the European and international patent practices.