{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/european-patent-organisation-immunities-and-privileges-order-1978/article-15",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/european-patent-organisation-immunities-and-privileges-order-1978/article-15.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1978/179",
  "legislation_title": "The European Patent Organisation (Immunities and Privileges) Order 1978",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/european-patent-organisation-immunities-and-privileges-order-1978",
  "path": "article/15",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "15",
  "heading": "All Officers",
  "text": "Except in so far as in any particular case any privilege or immunity is waived by the President of the European Patent Office or (in the case of the President) by the Administrative Council of the Organisation, all officers of the European Patent Office shall enjoy:—\n(a) immunity from suit and legal process in respect of things done or omitted to be done by them in the course of the performance of their official duties, except in the case of a motor traffic offence committed by an officer or in the case of damage caused by a motor vehicle belonging to or driven by him;\n(b) as from the date on which the emoluments received by them as officers of the European Patent Office become subject to taxation by the Organisation for its benefit, exemption from income tax in respect of such emoluments, provided that nothing in this sub-paragraph shall be interpreted as precluding such emoluments from being taken into account for the purpose of assessing the amount of taxation to be applied to income from other sources;\n(c) unless they are citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies or, at the time of taking up their functions with the Organisation, are permanently resident in the United Kingdom, the like exemption from customs duties and taxes on the importation of articles which—\n(i) at or about the time when they first enter the United Kingdom, for the purpose of taking up post as officers of the European Patent Office for a period of at least one year, are imported for their personal use or that of members of their families forming part of their households, including articles intended for their establishment, and\n(ii) are articles which were in their ownership or possession or that of such members of their families, or which they or such members of their families were under contract to purchase, immediately before they so entered the United Kingdom,\nas, in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 36 of the 1961 Convention Articles, is accorded to a diplomatic agent;\nprovided that this Article shall not apply, in whole or in part, to those categories of officers to which the Administrative Council has decided by regulation that it shall not apply, in whole or in part.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "word omitted",
      "affecting": "uksi/1980/1096",
      "affecting_title": "The International Organisations (Immunities and Privileges) Miscellaneous Provisions Order 1980"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1978/179/article/15",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T19:40:50.265164+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}