Today, the new version of the European Pattent Convention, well known as EPC 2000, enters into force. At the last minute, all the contracting States of the preceding Convention complied, by ratification or accession, with the revised text of the Convention, including Portugal, i.e. the last Country to deposit its ratification instrument. . Here the official announcement in the EPO web site . Hence, from now on, either a newly filed European patent application or a PCT application has a legal effect in all 32 contracting States. From January 1008 first, they will have legal effect also in Norway and Croatia, the latter in any case being reachable through a European application thanks to an extension agreement.