1. Decisions incurring a period for appeal or a petition for review, and summonses to oral proceedings (Rule 115 EPC) or to the taking of evidence (Rule 118 EPC), are notified by the European Patent Office (EPO) by registered letter with advice of delivery (Article 119 and Rule 126(1) EPC).

2. As a result of differing delivery regulations in individual states, advices of delivery are often either not returned to the EPO at all or else returned without being completed at the receiving end. Subsequent investigations take dispro- portionate time and effort. Particular difficulties arise with summonses to oral proceedings or the taking of evidence, because of the prescribed period of advance notice (Rules 115(1) and 118(2) EPC).

3. To avoid difficulties, the EPO has for some time enclosed with all notifications sent by registered mail with advice of delivery an acknowledgement of receipt (EPO Form 2936), which from now on will be an A4 sheet rather than a recto-verso white card.

4. The addressee is reguested to date and sign the acknowledgement of receipt (EPO Form 2936) and to return it immediately to the EPO through EPO Online Services (as annex to EPO Form 1038), by fax (+49 (0)89 2399-4465 or +31 (0)70 340-3016) or by post.

5. The present notice enters into force on 1 August 2010, and as from that date supersedes the notice from the EPO concerning enclosure of a prepared acknowledgement of receipt with summonses (OJ EPO 1984, 325) and the notice from the EPO concerning enclosure of a standard acknowledge- ment of receipt (EPO Form 2936) in the case of notifications by registered letter with advice of delivery (OJ EPO 1991, 577).

References: ar119; r126; r115; r118;