Who may file a demand for international preliminary examination with the EPO?
Sole applicants must have their residence in, or be a national of, a PCT contracting state bound by PCT Chapter II. If there are two or more applicants, at least one of them must meet this requirement. Secondly, the international application must have been filed with a receiving Office of or acting for a PCT contracting state bound by PCT Chapter II.
At 1 January 2020, all PCT contracting states were bound by Chapter II PCT and, therefore, these requirements do not stand in the way of any applicant wishing to file a demand for a pending international application.
Source: http://www.epo.org/applying/international/guide-for-applicants/html/e/ga_c4_1_5.html
Date retrieved: 17 May 2021
8 references found.
Click X to load a reference inside the current page, click on the title to open in a new page.EPC Articles
XA.152 EPC The European Patent Office as an International Searching Authority or International Preliminary Examining Authority