EP Expands to 36 States with Lithuania, Bosnia, and Herzegovinia

On December 3, 2004 the European Patent Office announced that "With the accession of Lithuania to the European Patent Convention, the Organisation now has 30 member states. Moreover, an agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina has entered into force, allowing applicants to extend their patent applications and patents to that country, which has observer status in the Organisation. European patents are now valid in 36 European states, covering a market of more than 560 million inhabitants."