(1)[ 2 ]
In proceedings before the European Patent Office, documents may be filed by delivery by hand, by postal services or by means of electronic communication. The President of the European Patent Office shall lay down the details and conditions and, where appropriate, any special formal or technical requirements for the filing of documents. In particular, he may specify that confirmation must be supplied. If such confirmation is not supplied in due time, the European patent application shall be refused; documents filed subsequently shall be deemed not to have been received.
Where the Convention provides that a document must be signed, the authenticity of the document may be confirmed by handwritten signature or other appropriate means the use of which has been permitted by the President of the European Patent Office. A document authenticated by such other means shall be deemed to meet the legal requirements of signature in the same way as a document bearing a handwritten signature which has been filed in paper form.
See decision of the President of the EPO of 12.07.2007 concerning the electronic signatures, data carriers and software to be used for the electronic filing of patent applications and other documents (Special edition No. 3, OJ EPO 2007, A.5) as well as decision of the President of the EPO of 13.05.2020 concerning the filing of documents during telephone consultations and during interviews and oral proceedings held by videoconference (OJ EPO 2020, A71).
See decision of the President of the EPO of 20.02.2019 concerning the filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile (OJ EPO 2019, A18).
See decision of the President of the EPO of 13.06.2019 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents (OJ EPO 2019, A64).
See decisionsdecision of the President of the EPO of 03.03.2021 concerning the electronic filing of documents and priority documents (OJ EPO 2018, A45, and OJ EPO 2018, A93OJ EPO 2021, A20) and noticesnotice from the EPO of 03.03.2021 concerning the launch of EPO's new filing service Online Filing 2.0 (OJ EPO 2018, A46, and OJ EPO 2018, A94OJ EPO 2021, A21).
See decision of the President of the EPO of 11.03.2015 concerning the pilot project to introduce new means of electronic communication in EPO proceedings (OJ EPO 2015, A28) and decision of the Vice-President DG5 of the EPO and notice from the EPO of 23.07.2020 concerning the pilot project on notification by email during examination proceedings (OJ EPO 2020, A89 and OJ EPO 2020, A90).
Amended by decision of the Administrative Council CA/D 6/14 of 15.10.2014 (OJ EPO 2015, A17), which entered into force on 01.04.2015.
See noticenotices from the EPO of 30.03.2015 (OJ EPO 2015, A36), of 14.09.2020 (OJ EPO 2020, A107) and of 26.12.2020 (OJ EPO 2021, A5).
Source: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/epc/2016/e/r2.html
Date retrieved: 17 May 2021
84 references found.
Click X to load a reference inside the current page, click on the title to open in a new page.EPC Implementing Rules
EPO Guidelines - A Formalities Examination
EPO Guidelines - D Opposition and Limitation/Revocation Procedures
XGL D IV 1.2.1 Deficiencies which, if not remedied, lead to the opposition being deemed not to have been filed
XGL D IV 1.3 Issue of communications by the formalities officer as a result of examination for deficiencies
EPO Guidelines - E General Procedural Matters
Offical Journal of the EPO
XOJ EPO SE 1/2021, p122 - XI.4 - Electronic signatures, data carriers and software to be used for the electronic filing of patent applications and other documents
XOJ EPO SE 1/2021, p88 - VII.3 - Filing of documents during oral proceedings held by videoconference
XOJ EPO 2021, A21 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 3 March 2021 concerning the launch of EPO's new filing service Online Filing 2.0
XOJ EPO 2021, A20 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 3 March 2021 concerning the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2021, A5 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 26 December 2020 concerning the expansion of electronic notification via the Mailbox
XOJ EPO SE 1/2020, p117 - XI.4 - Electronic signatures, data carriers and software to be used for the electronic filing of patent applications and other documents
XOJ EPO 2020, A120 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 22 October 2020 concerning the procedures and safeguards which apply under the EPC and the PCT in the event of outages of means of electronic filing and other online services
XOJ EPO 2020, A107 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 14 September 2020 concerning the expansion of electronic notification via the Mailbox in opposition proceedings
XOJ EPO 2020, A105 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 21 September 2020 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2020, A90 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 23 July 2020 concerning the pilot project on notification by email during examination proceedings under the decision of the Vice-President Legal and International Affairs [..]
XOJ EPO 2020, A89 - Decision of the Vice-President Legal and International Affairs (Directorate-General 5) of the European Patent Office dated 23 July 2020 concerning the pilot project on notification by email during examination proceedings
XOJ EPO 2020, A71 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 13 May 2020 concerning the filing of documents during telephone consultations and during interviews and oral proceedings held by videoconference
XOJ EPO 2020, A56 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 27 April 2020 concerning the closure of the EPO's filing offices on 22 May 2020
XOJ EPO SE 1/2019, p101 - XI.4 - Electronic signatures, data carriers and software to be used for the electronic filing of patent applications and other documents
XOJ EPO 2019, A64 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 13 June 2019 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2019, A18 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 20 February 2019 concerning the filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile
XOJ EPO SE 1/2018, p106 - XI.6 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 10 September 2014 [ 1 ] concerning the filing of documents using the EPO web-form filing service
XOJ EPO SE 1/2018, p102 - XI.5 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 11 March 2015 [ 1 ] concerning the filing of documents using the EPO case management system
XOJ EPO SE 1/2018, p100 - XI.4 - Electronic signatures, data carriers and software to be used for the electronic filing of patent applications and other documents
XOJ EPO SE 1/2018, p98 - XI.3 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 19 June 2017 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO SE 1/2018, p93 - XI.2 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 10 November 2015 [ 1 ] concerning the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2018, A93 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 15 November 2018 concerning the electronic filing of priority documents
XOJ EPO 2018, A45 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 9 May 2018 concerning the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2018, A28 - Information for users on the availability of DOCX filing and changes to the filing fee, fee for grant and transmittal fee
XOJ EPO 2018, A25 - Notice from the EPO dated 18 January 2018 concerning the safeguards available under the EPC and the PCT in case of unavailability of means of electronic communication
XOJ EPO SE 1/2017, p107 - XI.6 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 10 September 2014 [ 1 ] concerning the filing of documents using the EPO web-form filing service
XOJ EPO SE 1/2017, p103 - XI.5 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 11 March 2015 [ 1 ] concerning the filing of documents using the EPO case management system
XOJ EPO SE 1/2017, p101 - XI.4 - Electronic signatures, data carriers and software to be used for the electronic filing of patent applications and other documents
XOJ EPO SE 1/2017, p99 - XI.3 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 5 February 2015 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO SE 1/2017, p94 - XI.2 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 10 November 2015 [ 1 ] concerning the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2017, A59 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 19 June 2017 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2017, A11 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 3 January 2017 designating the EPO's filing offices
XOJ EPO 2017, A6 - Notice from the EPO dated 20 December 2016 concerning security inspection of items delivered to its premises
XOJ EPO 2015, A36 - Notice of the European Patent Office dated 30 March 2015 concerning amendments to Rules 2, 124, 125, 126, 127, 129, 133 and 134 EPC, and the decisions of the President of the European Patent Office dated 11 March 2015 on the [..]
XOJ EPO 2015, A28 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 11 March 2015 concerning the pilot project to introduce new means of electronic communication in EPO proceedings
XOJ EPO 2015, A17 - Decision of the Administrative Council of 15 October 2014 amending Rules 2, 124, 125, 126, 127, 129, 133 and 134 of the Implementing Regulations to the European Patent Convention (CA/D 6/14)
XOJ EPO 2012, 448 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 31 May 2012 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2012, 348 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 20 April 2012 concerning the filing of documents by e-mail during interviews and oral proceedings held as a video-conference
XOJ EPO 2011, 418 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 10 May 2011 concerning the filing of third party observations under Article 115 EPC by means of an online form 1
XOJ EPO 2010, 226 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 8 February 2010 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2009, 187 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 5 March 2009 concerning the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents
XOJ EPO 2009, 182 - Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 26 February 2009 concerning the electronic filing of documents