EAPO’s Patent Regulations to update in 2026

The Administrative Counsel of the Eurasian Patent Organization has adopted amendments to the Patent Regulations for Inventions and Designs, effective as of February 1, 2026.

Below is a brief overview of the key changes.

Designs

• A new Chapter IX, titled “Filing and examination of international applications,” has been introduced in accordance with the Geneva Act (1999) of the Hague Agreement;
• A decision on allowance can now be appealed (previously, only a decision on refusal could be appealed);
• An administrative invalidation request may be filed at any time during the patent’s full term of validity, even if the patent has lapsed or has been voluntarily abandoned (previously, this was only possible within three years from the grant date).

Inventions

• The unlimited extension of procedural terms is capped at 24 months;
• Patent publications are now exempt from the grace period for prior disclosure;
• Non-patentable subject-matter now includes:
  • Methods of human cloning and human clones;
  • Methods of modifying the genetic integrity of human germline cells;
  • Use of human embryos for industrial and commercial purposes;
• The conditions for Patent Term Extension are detailed;
• Procedural aspects of conducting formal examination, patent search, substantive examination will be established by the President of the EAPO;
• The EAPO now has the right to request from the applicant information on patent searches carried out in other jurisdictions for the same patent family;
• the claims may only be amended to remain within the scope of the patent search that has been carried out, provided that the unity of invention requirement is met.