The European Patent Organisation has made an agreement with the Tunisian government that will allow European patent applicants and proprietors to validate the legal effects of their European patents and applications on Tunisian territory, even though Tunisia is not an EPO member state.

Validated European patent applications and patents will have the same legal effect as Tunisian national applications and patents, and will be subject only to Tunisian patent legislation.

The agreement has to be ratified before it can enter into force.

Further details can be found on the EPO’s website here.