A.90 EPC Examination on filing and examination as to formal requirements

(1)

The European Patent Office shall examine, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations, whether the application satisfies the requirements for the accordance of a date of filing.

(2)

If a date of filing cannot be accorded following the examination under paragraph 1, the application shall not be dealt with as a European patent application.

(3)

If the European patent application has been accorded a date of filing, the European Patent Office shall examine, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations, whether the requirements in Articles 14, 78 and 81, and, where applicable, Article 88, paragraph 1, and Article 133, paragraph 2, as well as any other requirement laid down in the Implementing Regulations, have been satisfied.

(4)

Where the European Patent Office in carrying out the examination under paragraphs 1 or 3 notes that there are deficiencies which may be corrected, it shall give the applicant an opportunity to correct them.

(5)

If any deficiency noted in the examination under paragraph 3 is not corrected, the European patent application shall be refused unless a different legal consequence is provided for by this Convention. Where the deficiency concerns the right of priority, this right shall be lost for the application.

[ Art. 16 78 80 88 92 R. 6 10 38 40 45 53 55 60 111 113 137 139 140 142 152 153 ]

Amended by the Act revising the European Patent Convention of 29.11.2000.

See opinions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal G 4/98, G 1/02 (Annex I).

Source: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/epc/2016/e/ar90.html

Date retrieved: 17 May 2021

85 references found.

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EPC Articles

X Part IV Procedure up to grant

X A.14 EPC Languages of the European Patent Office, European patent applications and other documents

X A.16 EPC Receiving Section

X A.78 EPC Requirements of a European patent application

X A.80 EPC Date of filing

X A.81 EPC Designation of the inventor

X A.88 EPC Claiming priority

X A.92 EPC Drawing up of the European search report

X A.133 EPC General principles of representation

EPC Implementing Rules

X R.6 EPC Filing of translations and reduction of fees

X R.10 EPC Responsibility of the Receiving Section and the Examining Division

X R.38 EPC Filing fee and search fee

X R.40 EPC Date of filing

X R.45 EPC Claims incurring fees

X R.53 EPC Priority documents

X R.55 EPC Examination on filing

X R.56 EPC Missing parts of the description or missing drawings

X R.57 EPC Examination as to formal requirements

X R.60 EPC Subsequent designation of the inventor

X R.111 EPC Form of decisions

X R.112 EPC Noting of loss of rights

X R.113 EPC Signature, name, seal

X R.137 EPC Amendment of the European patent application

X R.139 EPC Correction of errors in documents filed with the European Patent Office

X R.140 EPC Correction of errors in decisions

X R.142 EPC Interruption of proceedings

X R.152 EPC Authorisations

X R.153 EPC Attorney-client evidentiary privilege

EPO Guidelines - A Formalities Examination

X GL A II 4.1 Minimum requirements for according a date of filing

X GL A II 4.1.4 Deficiencies

X GL A II 5.1 Late filing of missing drawings or missing parts of the description – on invitation

X GL A III 1.1 Formal requirements

X GL A III 3.1 General remarks

X GL A III 3.2 Documents making up the application, replacement documents, translations

X GL A III 5.5 Deficiencies

X GL A III 6.5 Declaration of priority

X GL A III 6.5.3 Deficiencies in the priority claim and loss of the priority right

X GL A III 6.7 Copy of the previous application (priority document)

X GL A III 6.10 Loss of right to priority

X GL A III 10.1 General remark

X GL A III 13.1 Payment of fees

X GL A III 14 Translation of the application

X GL A III 15 Late filing of claims

X GL A III 16.1 Procedure formalities officer

X GL A III 16.2 Period allowed for remedying deficiencies

X GL A IV 5 Applications relating to nucleotide and amino acid sequences

X GL A VI 1.1 Date of publication

X GL A VII 1.4 Invitation to file the translation

X GL A VIII 1.1 General principles

EPO Guidelines - B Search

X GL B IV 1.2 Formal deficiencies

X GL B VI 5.1 Verification of claimed priority date(s)

EPO Guidelines - C Procedureal Aspects of Substantive Examination

X GL C II 4 Designation fee(s), extension and validation fees

EPO Guidelines - E General Procedural Matters

X GL E VIII 1.5 Effect of change in priority date

X GL E VIII 1.8 Failure to respond within a time limit

X GL E XII 7.4.4 Response to communication pursuant to Rule 58 filed with the appeal

Offical Journal of the EPO

X OJ EPO SE 1/2021, p111 - XI.1 - Filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile

X OJ EPO 2021, A12 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 22 February 2021 concerning the amendment of Rules 19 and 143 EPC

X OJ EPO SE 1/2020, p104 - XI.1 - Filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile

X OJ EPO SE 1/2019, p88 - XI.1 - Filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile

X OJ 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

X OJ EPO SE 3/2018, p2 - BOARDS OF APPEAL AND ENLARGED BOARD OF APPEAL CASE LAW 2017

X OJ EPO SE 1/2018, p88 - XI.1 - Filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile

X OJ EPO SE 1/2017, p89 - XI.1 - Filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile

X OJ EPO 2013, 16 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 3 December 2012 on calculation of the time limit under Rule 36(1) EPC

X OJ EPO 2009, 170 - Decision of the Legal Board of Appeal dated 17 December 2007 J 3/06 3.1.01

Case Law Book: II Conditions to be met by an Application

X CLR II F 3.3 Language for filing divisional application

Case Law Book: III Amendments

X CLR III V 2.2 Duty of persons without residence nor place of business within a contracting state to be represented by a professional representative

Case Law Book: IV Divisional Applications

X CLR IV A 1 Introduction

X CLR IV A 2 Responsibility for formalities examination

X CLR IV A 5.1 Requirements for according a date of filing

X CLR IV A 5.4.1 Legal provisions

X CLR IV A 6 Examination of formal requirements

X CLR IV A 6.2 Designation of the inventor

Case Law Book: V Priority

X CLR V A 1.3 Suspensive effect of the appeal

Case Law of the Enlarged Board

X G 0004/98 (Designation fees) of 27.11.2000

X G 0001/02 (Formalities officers' powers) of 22.1.2003

General Case Law

X J 0003/06 (Transitional provisions/HEITKAMP) of 17.12.2007

X J 0018/08 (Appointment of representative/ALDEN) of 3.4.2009

X J 0004/09 (Form von Zeichnungen/MACPHARMAZIE) of 28.7.2009

X J 0001/10 (Designation of inventor/KOVAC) of 30.7.2010

X J 0027/10 () of 9.12.2011

X J 0016/13 (Correction of application documents) of 22.5.2014

X J 0019/13 (Deficiency concerning the signature on the request for grant) of 30.5.2016

X J 0013/14 () of 13.12.2016

X J 0018/16 () of 8.2.2017