European Patent Guide

As patent proprietor you may request the revocation or limitation of your own patent. You can file the request at any time after grant, after opposition proceedings or even after expiry of the patent. However, a request for revocation or limitation filed while opposition proceedings in respect of the European patent are pending is deemed not to have been filed, since the opposition proceedings have precedence. In case of revocation, the requester will be informed that the request will be handled in the pending opposition proceedings without payment of a fee. Subsequently, the Article 105a proceedings will be terminated. If a revocation request is pending at the time of filing an opposition, the revocation procedure will be continued for reasons of procedural efficiency. If limitation proceedings are pending at the time of filing an opposition, the limitation proceedings are terminated and the limitation fee is reimbursed. Opposition proceedings will be continued.

Requests must be filed direct with the EPO. Requests may be filed electronically via the EPO Online Filing software or the EPO case management system (CMS), but not via the EPO Web-Form Filing service (see points 4.4.001-4.4.006). They may also be filed by post, by hand and by fax. The general provisions for filing a European patent application (see Rules 35 ff) and the need for professional representation for non-resident patent proprietors apply (see points 4.1.023-4.1.024). Furthermore, the request is deemed to be filed only when the limitation or revocation fee is paid.

The subject of limitation or revocation proceedings is the European patent as granted or as amended in opposition or (earlier) limitation proceedings. Since limitation is effected by means of amendment of the claims, the request must include a complete set of the amended claims (and the description and drawings if applicable). If these or the general requirements regarding languages and representation (see points 4.1.006-4.1.010 and 4.1.023-4.1.031) are not met, the EPO invites you to correct any deficiencies within a period to be specified, normally of two months. If you do not correct the deficiencies within this period, the request is rejected as inadmissible. Re-establishment of rights is however available. The decision rejecting the request is open to appeal.

If the request is for revocation and is admissible, then the examining division revokes the patent and communicates this to the requester.

If the request for limitation is admissible, the examining division proceeds with its examination of the request. The basis for the examination is the patent as granted or amended in opposition or limitation proceedings. Where there have already been both opposition and limitation proceedings, then the basis for the examination is the patent as amended in the most recent of the procedures. The examining division only examines whether the amended claims constitute a limitation with respect to the claims as granted or amended and whether they are clear and concise and supported by the description and do not contain subject-matter which extends beyond the application as filed.

The term ‘limitation’ means a reduction in the scope of protection of the claims. Clarifications or changes made simply to protect different subject-matter are not considered to be limitations. If there are any deficiencies, you will be invited to correct them within a period generally set to two months. 

If the request for limitation is allowable, you will be informed accordingly and invited to pay the prescribed fee for publishing an amended specification and to file a translation of the amended limited claims into the other two official languages within a non-extendable period of three months. If considered necessary, the description and drawings have to be adapted additionally. If these acts are not performed in due time, they may still be validly performed within two months of notification of a communication pointing out the failure to observe the time limit, provided that a surcharge is paid within this period. 

The decision to limit the European patent takes effect on the date on which it is published in the European Patent Bulletin. Its effect is to limit the patent ab initio.