1. By letter of 27 September 2018, the State of Monaco informed the European Patent Office (EPO) that with effect from 1 December 2018 the Intellectual Property Division of the Directorate for Economic Expansion of the Principality's Government (IPD) would cease to act as a PCT receiving Office. In the same letter it asked the EPO if it would be prepared, pursuant to Rule 19.1(b) PCT, to act for all purposes instead of the IPD as a PCT receiving Office for applicants who are nationals of or have their residence or principal place of business in the State of Monaco, in respect of all international applications filed with effect from 1 December 2018. By letter of 2 November 2018 the EPO granted this request.

2. Until 30 November 2018, in keeping with Rule 19.1 PCT, with the "Ordonnance Souveraine monégasque No. 6.611" of 13 July 1979 and with Article 151 and Rule 157 EPC, applicants who were nationals of or had their residence or principal place of business in the State of Monaco had the choice of filing international applications either with the IPD or with the EPO or with the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

3. Following the entry into force on 1 December 2018 of amendments to provisions of the "Ordonnance Souveraine monégasque No. 6.611" of 13 July 1979, and in view of the delegation of the IPD's PCT receiving Office functions to the EPO, the IPD has with effect from that date ceased to act as a PCT receiving Office. Thus as from 1 December 2018 only the EPO and WIPO's International Bureau act as PCT receiving Offices for applicants who are nationals of or have their residence or principal place of business in the State of Monaco.