Our Quality Management System

The aim of the Quality Management System (QMS) implemented at the EPO is to ensure that products and services provided to our users conform to all relevant requirements and meet or exceed the users' needs and expectations: our "commitment to excellence". Our integrated approach to quality focusses on process monitoring and regular management review of results across a range of quality criteria.

The scope of the QMS is applicable to the patent process comprising following operational processes:

• search and examination,
• opposition,
• limitation and revocation, and
• patent information and post-grant activities.

The quality strategy goal is to maintain the leading position in quality and to continually improve upon it. This is achieved by:

• systematically setting quality objectives,
• defining actions and supplying the resources to achieve them,
• measuring many aspects of quality at various stages of the patent process,
• analysing results,
• asking our user community for feedback,
• improving the system by means of systematic corrective and preventive actions.

On a regular basis, top management reviews the QMS to assess its efficiency and effectiveness and decides on adjustments where appropriate.