The London Agreement or Londoner Abkommen, as it is known in Germany, is a multilateral agreement between European countries that aims to reduce the translation costs of European patents. The agreement was signed in London on October 17th, 2000, and entered into force on May 1st, 2008.

The London Agreement was signed by 19 countries, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Its main objective is to reduce the translation costs of European patents by eliminating the requirement for costly translations of granted European patents into the national languages of the member states where these patents are validated.

Before the agreement came into effect, European patents had to be translated into the official languages of each of the designated states where the patent owner wanted to enforce the patent. This meant that a single patent could require translations into more than a dozen different languages, which could be a significant financial burden for patent applicants.

Under the terms of the London Agreement, the translation requirement is now limited to a single, limited translation of the claims in the official language of the member state in which the patent is validated. This has significantly reduced the translation costs for European patents validated in multiple European countries.

The benefits of the London Agreement are particularly significant for countries like Germany, which has a large number of patent applications and a complex patent validation process. Before the agreement came into effect, the translation costs for a German patent validated in multiple European countries could be prohibitively expensive. The London Agreement has made the process of validating European patents in Germany more affordable, opening up new opportunities for patent applicants from around the world.

In conclusion, the London Agreement or Londoner Abkommen is a significant multilateral agreement that has helped reduce the translation costs of European patents for patent applicants. By eliminating the requirement for multiple translations of granted patents into different national languages, the agreement has made the process of validating European patents in multiple markets more affordable and accessible. For countries like Germany, where the patent validation process can be particularly complex, the London Agreement has opened up new opportunities for innovation and development.