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The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), the other being the Administrative Council. The European Patent Organisation ( EPO or EPOrg) is a public international organisation created in 1977 to grant Patents in Europe under The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg the other being the European Patent [1] The EPO acts as executive body for the Organisation[2][3] while the Administrative Council acts as the Organisation's legislative body. [4][3]

Contents

Status and location

The European Patent Office (EPO or, sometimes, EPOff[5] in order to distinguish it from the European Patent Organisation) grants European patents for the Member States of the European Patent Convention. The EPO provides a single patent grant procedure, but not yet a single patent from the point of view of enforcement. Hence the patents granted are not European Community patents or even Europe-wide patents, but a bundle of national patents. [3]

The European Patent Office is not a legal entity as such,[6] but an organ of the European Patent Organisation,[7] which has a legal personality. Note This Wikipedia entry deals with the legal concept legal person. Note This Wikipedia entry deals with the legal concept legal person. [8]

The EPO headquarters are located at Munich, Germany. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The European Patent Office also includes a branch in Rijswijk (a suburb of The Hague, Netherlands), sub-offices in Berlin, Germany, and Vienna, Austria and a "liaison bureau" in Brussels, Belgium. is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those At the end of 2006, the European Patent Office had a staff of 6319 (with 3442 based in Munich, 2474 in Rijswijk, 281 in Berlin, 118 in Vienna and 4 in Brussels). [9]

Presidents of the European Patent Office
1. Johannes Bob van Benthem (1 November 1977 - 30 April 1985), Dutch. Dr Johannes Bob van Benthem ( 1921 - September 11 2006, The Hague, Netherlands) was a Dutch Lawyer. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands
2. Paul Brändli (1 May 1985 - 31 December 1995), Swiss. Paul Brändli (fl 1990s is a Swiss Intellectual property administrator Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation
3. Ingo Kober (1 January 1996 - 30 June 2004), German. Ingo Kober was the third president of the European Patent Office. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
4. Alain Pompidou (1 July 2004 - 30 June 2007), French. Prof Alain Pompidou (born April 5 1942, Paris, France) is a French Scientist and Politician. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.
5. Alison Brimelow (1 July 2007 - 30 June 2010), British. Alison Jane Brimelow CBE (born 1949) is a British Civil servant and former Chief Executive and Comptroller General of the UK "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper For the film see 2010 The Year We Make Contact. For the book see 2010 Odyssey Two. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

President

The European Patent Office is directed by a president, who is responsible for its activities to the Administrative Council. [10] The president also represents the European Patent Organisation. [11] The president has therefore a dual role: representative of the European Patent Organisation and head of the European Patent Office. [12]

Languages

Signage at the Munich office of the European Patent Office, in its three official languages, German, English and French.
Signage at the Munich office of the European Patent Office, in its three official languages, German, English and French.

The official languages of the European Patent Office are English, French and German[13] and publications including the European Patent Bulletin and Official Journal of the European Patent Office are published in all three of those languages. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. The European Patent Bulletin is a Weekly trilingual Publication of the European Patent Office (EPO generally issued every Wednesday The Official Journal of the European Patent Office is a Monthly trilingual Publication of the European Patent Office (EPO [14]

Patent applications may be filed in any language[15] provided that a translation into one of the official languages is submitted within two months. [16] The official language that the application is filed in or translated into is taken to be the language of the proceedings[17] and the application is published in that language. [18] Documentary evidence may also be submitted in any language, although the EPO may require a translation. [19]

Several Contracting States to the European Patent Convention have an official language which is not an official language of the EPO, such as Dutch, Italian or Spanish and these languages are referred to as "admissible non-EPO languages". The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. [20] Residents or nationals of such States may submit any documents subject to a time limit in an official language of that State[21] and there is a shorter period of one month for filing a translation into an official language[22] or the document is deemed not to have been filed. [23] Many EPO fees are reduced by 20% for people who file patent application or other documents in an admissible non-EPO language and subsequently file the necessary translation. [24]

Departments and Directorates-General

The European Patent Office includes the following departments, pursuant to Art. 15 EPC: a Receiving Section, responsible for the examination on filing and the examination as to formal requirements of European patent applications, Examining Divisions, responsible for prior art searches and the examination of European patent applications, Opposition Divisions, responsible for the examination of oppositions against any European patent, a Legal Division, Boards of Appeal, responsible for the examination of appeals, and an Enlarged Board of Appeal (see also: Appeal procedure before the European Patent Office). The opposition procedure before the European Patent Office (EPO is a post-grant, contentious Inter partes, administrative procedure intended In Law, an appeal is a process for requesting a formal change to an official decision Decisions of the first instances of the European Patent Office (EPO can be Appealed i In practice, the above departments of European Patent Office are organized into five "Directorates-General" (DG), each being directed by a Vice-President: DG 1 Operations, DG 2 Operational Support, DG 3 Appeals, DG 4 Administration, and DG 5 Legal/International Affairs.

EPO The Hague branch
EPO The Hague branch

The European Patent Office does not include any court which can take decisions on infringement matter. A court is a forum used by a power base to adjudicate disputes and dispense civil, labour administrative and criminal Justice under its National jurisdictions are competent for infringement matter regarding European patents. In Law, jurisdiction (from the Latin ius iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak" is the practical Authority European patents are granted by the European Patent Office (EPO under the legal provisions of the European Patent Convention (EPC

Activities under the Patent Cooperation Treaty

The European Patent Office acts as a Receiving Office, an International Searching Authority and an International Preliminary Examining Authority in the international procedure according to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The Patent Cooperation Treaty ( PCT) is an International Patent Law Treaty, concluded in 1970 The Patent Cooperation Treaty provides an international procedure for dealing with patent applications, called international applications, during the first 30 months after their first filing in any country. The European Patent Office does not grant international patents - which do not exist. After 30 months an international application must be converted into national or regional patent applications, and then are subject to national/regional grant procedures.

Other activities

The EPO cooperates with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) as one of the Trilateral Patent Offices. The United States Patent and Trademark Office ( PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues Patents to The Japan Patent Office (JPO 特許庁 Tokkyochō) is a Japanese governmental agency in charge of industrial property right affairs under the Ministry The Trilateral Patent Offices, or simply the Trilateral Offices, are the European Patent Office (EPO the Japan Patent Office (JPO and the United

References

  1. ^ Article 4(2) EPC
  2. ^ Article 4(3) EPC
  3. ^ a b c Gower's Report on Intellectual Property, para 1. The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty 34
  4. ^ Article 33 EPC
  5. ^ European Patent Office web site, European Patent Convention (EPC), Alphabetical keyword index. Consulted on November 17, 2007. The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty
  6. ^ Decision T 1012/03 of December 1, 2006, Reasons 29.
  7. ^ Article 4(2)(a) EPC
  8. ^ Article 5(1) EPC
  9. ^ European Patent Office, Annual Report 2006. Staff and resources, Fig. The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty 2 Analysis of staff in post on 31 Dec. 2006 by place of employment & grade. Consulted on March 12, 2008.
  10. ^ Article 10 EPC
  11. ^ Article 5(3) EPC
  12. ^ Decision T 1012/03 of December 1, 2006, Reasons 35. The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty
  13. ^ Article 14(1) EPC
  14. ^ Article 14(7) EPC
  15. ^ Article 14(2) EPC
  16. ^ Rule 6(1) EPC
  17. ^ Article 14(3) EPC
  18. ^ Article 14(5) EPC
  19. ^ Rule 3(3) EPC
  20. ^ EPO Guidelines for Examination, A, XI-9.2.1
  21. ^ Article 14(4) EPC
  22. ^ Rule 6(2) EPC
  23. ^ Article 14(4) EPC
  24. ^ Rule 6(2) EPC and RFees 14(1)

External links

The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC is a multilateral Treaty
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