(1) Unless this Convention or national laws provide otherwise, the European Patent Office and the central industrial property office of any Contracting State shall, on request, communicate to each other any useful information regarding European or national patent applications and patents and any proceedings concerning them.

(2) Paragraph 1 shall apply to the communication of information by virtue of working agreements between the European Patent Office and

(a) the central industrial property offices of other States;

(b) any intergovernmental organisation entrusted with the task of granting patents;

(c) any other organisation.

(3) Communications under paragraphs 1 and paragraphs 2(a) and paragraphs 2(b) shall not be subject to the restrictions laid down in Article 128. The Administrative Council may decide that communications under paragraph 2(c) shall not be subject to such restrictions, provided that the organisation concerned treats the information communicated as confidential until the European patent application has been published.

Notes

1. Amended by the Act revising the European Patent Convention of 29.11.2000.