(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 decisions of the President of the EPO, Special edition No. 3 OJ EPO 2007, A.3, A.5 and OJ EPO 2015, A91 and 2016, A21, as well as OJ EPO 2012, 348 (revoking in part by its Article 9 the decisions of the President of the EPO, OJ EPO 1999, 509 and 2000, 458).
See decision of the President of the EPO, OJ EPO 2015, A26OJ EPO 2017, A59.
See the decisionsdecision of the President of the EPO dated 09.05.2018 concerning the electronic filing of documents, OJ EPO 2018, A45 and the notice from the EPO, OJ EPO 2018, A46 concerning the filing of documents using the EPO case management system (OJ EPO 2015, A27) or the EPO web-form filing service (OJ EPO 2014, A98) or online filing (OJ EPO 2015, A91, 2016, A21 and OJ EPO 2017, A59).
See also decision of the President of the EPO concerning the pilot project to introduce new means of electronic communication in EPO proceedings, OJ EPO 2015, A28.
Amended by decision of the Administrative Council CA/D 6/14 of 15.10.2014 (OJ EPO 2015, A17), entered into force on 01.04.2015.
See notice from the EPO, OJ EPO 2015, A36.
Source: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/epc/2016/e/r2.html
Date retrieved: 30 December 2018
61 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
Offical Journal of the EPO
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, A46 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 9 May 2018 concerning the electronic filing of 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