In 2023, the European Patent Office intends to make available a first MyEPO Portfolio B2B (business-to-business) technical API (application programming interface) so that parties to proceedings before the EPO can automate exchange of data between their IP management systems and MyEPO Portfolio.
We are inviting providers of commercial IP management systems to contact us if they would like to receive technical information about this new service that is under development.
This initiative forms part of Goal 2 of the EPO's Strategic Plan 2023. The EPO is working towards a digital transformation that will deliver new online tools to better address user needs, including the further development of a new means of online user engagement via MyEPO Portfolio.
MyEPO Portfolio is a secure, web-based online service for parties to proceedings before the EPO that provides a fresh approach to working with the EPO on portfolios of applications. It was launched on 1 June 2022.
Users can view their application portfolios, view documents in the digital file, receive EPO Mailbox communications, and perform procedural acts in response to communications from the EPO. It has been designed to improve the exchange of digital information, simplify procedures, and enable more direct interaction with EPO examiners on files.
We are extending the features available via MyEPO Portfolio progressively during 2023.
As part of phase 2 of the MyEPO Portfolio pilot project, the EPO will develop a Mailbox API which can be called by a user's IP management system to download documents and data from the user's EPO Mailbox.
During the first quarter of 2023, we aim for the Mailbox API to enter pilot phase so that it can be trialled by parties to proceedings before the EPO who responded to our call for pilot participants.
In future, the EPO intends to introduce additional APIs to enable exchange of other data between a user's IP management system and MyEPO Portfolio.
You can register your interest as a provider of IP management software by sending an email to customer-services@epo.org, indicating your contact details and the name of your IP management solution.
The MyEPO Portfolio team will then contact you to share information about the API, as and when it becomes ready to share during pilot phase 2 development and trials.
No, you can register your interest at any time.
This announcement is an invitation to providers of commercial IP management systems to contact us if they would like to receive technical information about the new service that is under development.
It is not an invitation to participate in the pilot phase, which is only open to parties to proceedings before the EPO that have responded to our call for pilot participants.
Nor is it a call for competition or interest for suppliers to take part in a competitive tender or other procedure for services that the EPO will procure. The EPO will not enter into any contractual relationship with the supplier.
The MyEPO Portfolio API is the intellectual property of the EPO, regardless of any exchange of information about the software with providers of IP management systems.
For more information, please also see the notice from the European Patent Office dated 10 October 2022 concerning phase 2 of the MyEPO Portfolio pilot project.
