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of 5 October 1973
as revised by the Act revising Article 63 EPC of 17 December 1991
and the Act revising the EPC of 29 November 2000[1]
General and institutional provisions
General provisions
European law for the grant of patents
European patent
Territorial effect
European Patent Organisation
Conference of ministers of the Contracting States
The European Patent Organisation
Legal status
Headquarters
Sub‑offices of the European Patent Office
Privileges and immunities
Liability
The European Patent Office
Management
Appointment of senior employees
Duties of office
Disputes between the Organisation and the employees of the European Patent Office
Languages of the European Patent Office, European patent applications and other documents
Departments entrusted with the procedure
Receiving Section
Search Divisions
Examining Divisions
Opposition Divisions
Legal Division
Boards of Appeal
Enlarged Board of Appeal
Independence of the members of the Boards
Exclusion and objection
Technical opinion
The Administrative Council
Membership
Chairmanship
Board
Meetings
Attendance of observers
Languages of the Administrative Council
Staff, premises and equipment
Competence of the Administrative Council in certain cases
Voting rights
Voting rules
Weighting of votes
Financial provisions
Budgetary funding
The Organisation's own resources
Payments by the Contracting States in respect of renewal fees for European patents
Level of fees and payments – Special financial contributions
Advances
Budget
Authorisation for expenditure
Appropriations for unforeseeable expenditure
Accounting period
Preparation and adoption of the budget
Provisional budget
Budget implementation
Auditing of accounts
Financial Regulations
Fees
Substantive patent law
Patentability
Patentable inventions
Exceptions to patentability
Novelty
Non-prejudicial disclosures
Inventive step
Industrial application
Persons entitled to apply for and obtain a European patent – Mention of the inventor
Entitlement to file a European patent application
Multiple applicants
Right to a European patent
European patent applications filed by non‑entitled persons
Right of the inventor to be mentioned
Effects of the European patent and the European patent application
Term of the European patent
Rights conferred by a European patent
Translation of the European patent
Equivalence of European filing with national filing
Rights conferred by a European patent application after publication
Effect of revocation or limitation of the European patent
Extent of protection
Authentic text of a European patent application or European patent
The European patent application as an object of property
Transfer and constitution of rights
Assignment
Contractual licensing
Law applicable
The European patent application
Filing and requirements of the European patent application
Filing of a European patent application
European divisional applications
Forwarding of European patent applications
Requirements of a European patent application
Designation of Contracting States
Date of filing
Designation of the inventor
Unity of invention
Disclosure of the invention
Claims
Abstract
Renewal fees for the European patent application
Priority
Priority right
Claiming priority
Effect of priority right
Procedure up to grant
Examination on filing and examination as to formal requirements
(deleted)
Drawing up of the European search report
Publication of the European patent application
Examination of the European patent application
(deleted)
(deleted)
Grant or refusal
Publication of the specification of the European patent
Opposition and limitation procedure
Opposition
Grounds for opposition
Examination of the opposition – Revocation or maintenance of the European patent
(deleted)
Publication of a new specification of the European patent
Costs
Intervention of the assumed infringer
Request for limitation or revocation
Limitation or revocation of the European patent
Publication of the amended specification of the European patent
Appeals procedure
Decisions subject to appeal
Persons entitled to appeal and to be parties to appeal proceedings
Time limit and form
Interlocutory revision
Examination of appeals
Decision in respect of appeals
Decision or opinion of the Enlarged Board of Appeal
Petition for review by the Enlarged Board of Appeal
Common provisions
Common provisions governing procedure
Right to be heard and basis of decisions
Examination by the European Patent Office of its own motion
Observations by third parties
Oral proceedings
Means and taking of evidence
Unity of the European patent application or European patent
Notification
Time limits
Further processing of the European patent application
Re‑establishment of rights
Amendments
Information on prior art
Reference to general principles
(deleted)
Information to the public or to official authorities
European Patent Register
Inspection of files
Periodical publications
Exchange of information
Administrative and legal co‑operation
Exchange of publications
Representation
General principles of representation
Representation before the European Patent Office
Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office
Impact on national law
Conversion into a national patent application
Request for conversion
(deleted)
Formal requirements for conversion
Revocation and prior rights
Revocation of European patents
Prior rights and rights arising on the same date
Miscellaneous effects
National utility models and utility certificates
Renewal fees for European patents
Special agreements
Unitary patents
Special departments of the European Patent Office
Representation before special departments
Select committee of the Administrative Council
Cover for expenditure for carrying out special tasks
Payments in respect of renewal fees for unitary patents
The European patent application as an object of property
Joint designation
Other agreements between the Contracting States
International applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty – Euro-PCT applications
Application of the Patent Cooperation Treaty
The European Patent Office as a receiving Office
The European Patent Office as an International Searching Authority or International Preliminary Examining Authority
The European Patent Office as designated Office or elected Office
(deleted)
(deleted)
(deleted)
(deleted)
(deleted)
Transitional Provisions
(deleted)
Final provisions
Implementing Regulations and Protocols
Signature – Ratification
Accession
(deleted)
Territorial field of application
Entry into force
Initial contribution
Duration of the Convention
Revision
Disputes between Contracting States
Denunciation
Preservation of acquired rights
Financial rights and obligations of former Contracting States
Languages of the Convention
Transmission and notifications
[1] The new text of the Convention adopted by the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation by decision of 28 June 2001 (see OJ EPO 2001, Special edition No. 4, p. 55) has become an integral part of the Revision Act of 29 November 2000 under Article 3(2), second sentence, of that Act.
Cross-reference list
| EPC | EPC 1973 |
| Part I | Part I |
| Art. 4a | - |
| Art. 11(5) | Art. 160(2) |
| Part II | Part II |
| Art. 53(c) | Art. 52(4) |
| Art. 54(4) | Art. 54(5) |
| Art. 54(5) | Art. 54(5) |
| Part III | Part III |
| Part IV | Part IV |
| Art. 90(3) | Art. 91(1), (2), (3) |
| Art. 90(4) | Art. 91(1), (2), (3) |
| Art. 90(5) | Art. 91(1), (2), (3). (5) |
| Art. 94(3) | Art. 96(2), (3) |
| Art. 94(3), (4) | Art. 96(2), (3) |
| Part V | Part V |
| Art. 99(3) | Art. 99(4), (5) |
| Art. 101(2) | Art. 102(1), (2) |
| Art. 101(3)(a) | Art. 102(3) |
| Art. 105a | Art. 105 (elmts) |
| Art. 105b | Art. 105 (elmts) |
| Art. 105c | Art. 105 (elmts) |
| Part VI | Part VI |
| Art. 112a | - |
| Part VII | Part VII |
| Art. 134(3), (4), (7) | Art. 163(1), (2), (3), (4), (6) |
| Art. 134a | Art. 134(8) |
| Part VIII | Part VIII |
| Art. 135(2), (4) | Art. 136(2) |
| Part IX | Part IX |
| Art. 149a | - |
| Part X | Part X |
| Art. 152 | Art. 154, Art. 155 |
| Art. 153(1) | Art. 156 |
| Art. 153(3), (4), (5) | Art. 158 |
| Art. 153(6), (7) | Art. 157(1), (2), (3) |
| Part XI | Part XI |
| Part XII | Part XII |