Skip to main content Skip to footer
HomeHome
 
  • Homepage
  • Searching for patents

    Patent knowledge

    Access our patent databases and search tools.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Technical information
      • Overview
      • Espacenet - patent search
      • European Publication Server
      • EP full-text search
    • Legal information
      • Overview
      • European Patent Register
      • European Patent Bulletin
      • European Case Law Identifier sitemap
      • Third-party observations
    • Business information
      • Overview
      • PATSTAT
      • IPscore
      • Technology insight reports
    • Data
      • Overview
      • Technology Intelligence Platform
      • Linked open EP data
      • Bulk data sets
      • Web services
      • Coverage, codes and statistics
    • Technology platforms
      • Overview
      • Plastics in transition
      • Water innovation
      • Space innovation
      • Technologies combatting cancer
      • Firefighting technologies
      • Clean energy technologies
      • Fighting coronavirus
    • Helpful resources
      • Overview
      • First time here?
      • Asian patent information
      • Patent information centres
      • Patent Translate
      • Patent Knowledge News
      • Business and statistics
      • Unitary Patent information in patent knowledge
    Image
    Plastics in Transition

    Technology insight report on plastic waste management

  • Applying for a patent

    Applying for a patent

    Practical information on filing and grant procedures.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • European route
      • Overview
      • European Patent Guide
      • Oppositions
      • Oral proceedings
      • Appeals
      • Unitary Patent & Unified Patent Court
      • National validation
      • Request for extension/validation
    • International route (PCT)
      • Overview
      • Euro-PCT Guide – PCT procedure at the EPO
      • EPO decisions and notices
      • PCT provisions and resources
      • Extension/validation request
      • Reinforced partnership programme
      • Accelerating your PCT application
      • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
      • Training and events
    • National route
    • Find a professional representative
    • MyEPO services
      • Overview
      • Understand our services
      • Get access
      • File with us
      • Interact with us on your files
      • Online Filing & fee payment outages
    • Forms
      • Overview
      • Request for examination
    • Fees
      • Overview
      • European fees (EPC)
      • International fees (PCT)
      • Unitary Patent fees (UP)
      • Fee payment and refunds
      • Warning

    UP

    Find out how the Unitary Patent can enhance your IP strategy

  • Law & practice

    Law & practice

    European patent law, the Official Journal and other legal texts.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Legal texts
      • Overview
      • European Patent Convention
      • Official Journal
      • Guidelines
      • Extension / validation system
      • London Agreement
      • National law relating to the EPC
      • Unitary patent system
      • National measures relating to the Unitary Patent
    • Court practices
      • Overview
      • European Patent Judges' Symposium
    • User consultations
      • Overview
      • Ongoing consultations
      • Completed consultations
    • Substantive patent law harmonisation
      • Overview
      • The Tegernsee process
      • Group B+
    • Convergence of practice
    • Options for professional representatives
    Image
    Law and practice scales 720x237

    Keep up with key aspects of selected BoA decisions with our monthly "Abstracts of decisions”

  • News & events

    News & events

    Our latest news, podcasts and events, including the European Inventor Award.

    Go to overview 

     

    • Overview
    • News
    • Events
    • European Inventor Award
      • Overview
      • The meaning of tomorrow
      • About the award
      • Categories and prizes
      • Meet the finalists
      • Nominations
      • European Inventor Network
      • The 2024 event
    • Young Inventor Prize
      • Overview
      • About the prize
      • Nominations
      • The jury
      • The world, reimagined
    • Press centre
      • Overview
      • Patent Index and statistics
      • Search in press centre
      • Background information
      • Copyright
      • Press contacts
      • Call back form
      • Email alert service
    • Innovation and patenting in focus
      • Overview
      • Water-related technologies
      • CodeFest
      • Green tech in focus
      • Research institutes
      • Women inventors
      • Lifestyle
      • Space and satellites
      • The future of medicine
      • Materials science
      • Mobile communications
      • Biotechnology
      • Patent classification
      • Digital technologies
      • The future of manufacturing
      • Books by EPO experts
    • "Talk innovation" podcast

    Podcast

    From ideas to inventions: tune into our podcast for the latest in tech and IP

  • Learning

    Learning

    The European Patent Academy – the point of access to your learning

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Learning activities and paths
      • Overview
      • Learning activities
      • Learning paths
    • EQE and EPAC
      • Overview
      • EQE - European qualifying examination
      • EPAC - European patent administration certification
      • CSP – Candidate Support Programme
    • Learning resources by area of interest
      • Overview
      • Patent granting
      • Technology transfer and dissemination
      • Patent enforcement and litigation
    • Learning resources by profile
      • Overview
      • Business and IP managers
      • EQE and EPAC Candidates
      • Judges, lawyers and prosecutors
      • National offices and IP authorities
      • Patent attorneys and paralegals
      • Universities, research centres and technology transfer centres (TTOs)
    Image
    Patent Academy catalogue

    Have a look at the extensive range of learning opportunities in the European Patent Academy training catalogue

  • About us

    About us

    Find out more about our work, values, history and vision

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • The EPO at a glance
    • 50 years of the EPC
      • Overview
      • Official celebrations
      • Member states’ video statements
      • 50 Leading Tech Voices
      • Athens Marathon
      • Kids’ collaborative art competition
    • Legal foundations and member states
      • Overview
      • Legal foundations
      • Member states of the European Patent Organisation
      • Extension states
      • Validation states
    • Administrative Council and subsidiary bodies
      • Overview
      • Communiqués
      • Calendar
      • Documents and publications
      • Administrative Council
    • Principles & strategy
      • Overview
      • Our mission, vision, values and corporate policy
      • Strategic Plan 2028
      • Towards a New Normal
    • Leadership & management
      • Overview
      • President António Campinos
      • Management Advisory Committee
    • Sustainability at the EPO
      • Overview
      • Environmental
      • Social
      • Governance and Financial sustainability
    • Services & activities
      • Overview
      • Our services & structure
      • Quality
      • Consulting our users
      • European and international co-operation
      • European Patent Academy
      • Chief Economist
      • Ombuds Office
      • Reporting wrongdoing
    • Observatory on Patents and Technology
      • Overview
      • Innovation actors
      • Policy and funding
      • Tools
      • About the Observatory
    • Procurement
      • Overview
      • Procurement forecast
      • Doing business with the EPO
      • Procurement procedures
      • Sustainable Procurement Policy
      • About eTendering and electronic signatures
      • Procurement portal
      • Invoicing
      • General conditions
      • Archived tenders
    • Transparency portal
      • Overview
      • General
      • Human
      • Environmental
      • Organisational
      • Social and relational
      • Economic
      • Governance
    • Statistics and trends
      • Overview
      • Statistics & Trends Centre
      • Patent Index 2024
      • EPO Data Hub
      • Clarification on data sources
    • History
      • Overview
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
    • Art collection
      • Overview
      • The collection
      • Let's talk about art
      • Artists
      • Media library
      • What's on
      • Publications
      • Contact
      • Culture Space A&T 5-10
      • "Long Night"
    Image
    Patent Index 2024 keyvisual showing brightly lit up data chip, tinted in purple, bright blue

    Track the latest tech trends with our Patent Index

 
en de fr
  • Language selection
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
Main navigation
  • Homepage
    • Go back
    • New to patents
  • New to patents
    • Go back
    • Your business and patents
    • Why do we have patents?
    • What's your big idea?
    • Are you ready?
    • What to expect
    • How to apply for a patent
    • Is it patentable?
    • Are you first?
    • Patent quiz
    • Unitary patent video
  • Searching for patents
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Technical information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Espacenet - patent search
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • National patent office databases
        • Global Patent Index (GPI)
        • Release notes
      • European Publication Server
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes
        • Cross-reference index for Euro-PCT applications
        • EP authority file
        • Help
      • EP full-text search
    • Legal information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Register
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes archive
        • Register documentation
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Deep link data coverage
          • Federated Register
          • Register events
      • European Patent Bulletin
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Download Bulletin
        • EP Bulletin search
        • Help
      • European Case Law Identifier sitemap
      • Third-party observations
    • Business information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • PATSTAT
      • IPscore
        • Go back
        • Release notes
      • Technology insight reports
    • Data
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Technology Intelligence Platform
      • Linked open EP data
      • Bulk data sets
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Manuals
        • Sequence listings
        • National full-text data
        • European Patent Register data
        • EPO worldwide bibliographic data (DOCDB)
        • EP full-text data
        • EPO worldwide legal event data (INPADOC)
        • EP bibliographic data (EBD)
        • Boards of Appeal decisions
      • Web services
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Open Patent Services (OPS)
        • European Publication Server web service
      • Coverage, codes and statistics
        • Go back
        • Weekly updates
        • Updated regularly
    • Technology platforms
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Plastics in transition
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Plastics waste recovery
        • Plastics waste recycling
        • Alternative plastics
      • Innovation in water technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Clean water
        • Protection from water
      • Space innovation
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Cosmonautics
        • Space observation
      • Technologies combatting cancer
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Prevention and early detection
        • Diagnostics
        • Therapies
        • Wellbeing and aftercare
      • Firefighting technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Detection and prevention of fires
        • Fire extinguishing
        • Protective equipment
        • Post-fire restoration
      • Clean energy technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Renewable energy
        • Carbon-intensive industries
        • Energy storage and other enabling technologies
      • Fighting coronavirus
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Vaccines and therapeutics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Vaccines
          • Overview of candidate therapies for COVID-19
          • Candidate antiviral and symptomatic therapeutics
          • Nucleic acids and antibodies to fight coronavirus
        • Diagnostics and analytics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Protein and nucleic acid assays
          • Analytical protocols
        • Informatics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Bioinformatics
          • Healthcare informatics
        • Technologies for the new normal
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Devices, materials and equipment
          • Procedures, actions and activities
          • Digital technologies
        • Inventors against coronavirus
    • Helpful resources
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • First time here?
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Basic definitions
        • Patent classification
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
        • Patent families
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • DOCDB simple patent family
          • INPADOC extended patent family
        • Legal event data
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • INPADOC classification scheme
      • Asian patent information
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • China (CN)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Chinese Taipei (TW)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • India (IN)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
        • Japan (JP)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Korea (KR)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Russian Federation (RU)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Numbering system
          • Searching in databases
        • Useful links
      • Patent information centres (PATLIB)
      • Patent Translate
      • Patent Knowledge News
      • Business and statistics
      • Unitary Patent information in patent knowledge
  • Applying for a patent
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • European route
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Guide
      • Oppositions
      • Oral proceedings
        • Go back
        • Oral proceedings calendar
          • Go back
          • Calendar
          • Public access to appeal proceedings
          • Public access to opposition proceedings
          • Technical guidelines
      • Appeals
      • Unitary Patent & Unified Patent Court
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Unitary Patent
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Legal framework
          • Main features
          • Applying for a Unitary Patent
          • Cost of a Unitary Patent
          • Translation and compensation
          • Start date
          • Introductory brochures
        • Unified Patent Court
      • National validation
      • Extension/validation request
    • International route
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Euro-PCT Guide
      • Entry into the European phase
      • Decisions and notices
      • PCT provisions and resources
      • Extension/validation request
      • Reinforced partnership programme
      • Accelerating your PCT application
      • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
        • Go back
        • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme outline
      • Training and events
    • National route
    • MyEPO services
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Understand our services
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Exchange data with us using an API
          • Go back
          • Release notes
      • Get access
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes
      • File with us
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • What if our online filing services are down?
        • Release notes
      • Interact with us on your files
        • Go back
        • Release notes
      • Online Filing & fee payment outages
    • Fees
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European fees (EPC)
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Decisions and notices
      • International fees (PCT)
        • Go back
        • Reduction in fees
        • Fees for international applications
        • Decisions and notices
        • Overview
      • Unitary Patent fees (UP)
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Decisions and notices
      • Fee payment and refunds
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Payment methods
        • Getting started
        • FAQs and other documentation
        • Technical information for batch payments
        • Decisions and notices
        • Release notes
      • Warning
    • Forms
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Request for examination
    • Find a professional representative
  • Law & practice
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Legal texts
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Convention
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Documentation on the EPC revision 2000
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Diplomatic Conference for the revision of the EPC
            • Travaux préparatoires
            • New text
            • Transitional provisions
            • Implementing regulations to the EPC 2000
            • Rules relating to Fees
            • Ratifications and accessions
          • Travaux Préparatoires EPC 1973
      • Official Journal
      • Guidelines
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • EPC Guidelines
        • PCT-EPO Guidelines
        • Unitary Patent Guidelines
        • Guidelines revision cycle
        • Consultation results
        • Summary of user responses
        • Archive
      • Extension / validation system
      • London Agreement
      • National law relating to the EPC
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
      • Unitary Patent system
        • Go back
        • Travaux préparatoires to UP and UPC
      • National measures relating to the Unitary Patent 
    • Court practices
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Judges' Symposium
    • User consultations
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Ongoing consultations
      • Completed consultations
    • Substantive patent law harmonisation
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • The Tegernsee process
      • Group B+
    • Convergence of practice
    • Options for professional representatives
  • News & events
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • News
    • Events
    • European Inventor Award
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • The meaning of tomorrow
      • About the award
      • Categories and prizes
      • Meet the inventors
      • Nominations
      • European Inventor Network
        • Go back
        • 2024 activities
        • 2025 activities
        • Rules and criteria
        • FAQ
      • The 2024 event
    • Young Inventors Prize
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • About the prize
      • Nominations
      • The jury
      • The world, reimagined
      • The 2025 event
    • Press centre
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent Index and statistics
      • Search in press centre
      • Background information
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • European Patent Office
        • Q&A on patents related to coronavirus
        • Q&A on plant patents
      • Copyright
      • Press contacts
      • Call back form
      • Email alert service
    • In focus
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Water-related technologies
      • CodeFest
        • Go back
        • CodeFest Spring 2025 on classifying patent data for sustainable development
        • Overview
        • CodeFest 2024 on generative AI
        • CodeFest 2023 on Green Plastics
      • Green tech in focus
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About green tech
        • Renewable energies
        • Energy transition technologies
        • Building a greener future
      • Research institutes
      • Women inventors
      • Lifestyle
      • Space and satellites
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Patents and space technologies
      • Healthcare
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Medical technologies and cancer
        • Personalised medicine
      • Materials science
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Nanotechnology
      • Mobile communications
      • Biotechnology
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Red, white or green
        • The role of the EPO
        • What is patentable?
        • Biotech inventors
      • Classification
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Nanotechnology
        • Climate change mitigation technologies
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • External partners
          • Updates on Y02 and Y04S
      • Digital technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About ICT
        • Hardware and software
        • Artificial intelligence
        • Fourth Industrial Revolution
      • Additive manufacturing
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About AM
        • AM innovation
      • Books by EPO experts
    • Podcast
  • Learning
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Learning activities and paths
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Learning activities: types and formats
      • Learning paths
    • EQE and EPAC
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • EQE - European Qualifying Examination
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Compendium
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Paper F
          • Paper A
          • Paper B
          • Paper C
          • Paper D
          • Pre-examination
        • Candidates successful in the European qualifying examination
        • Archive
      • EPAC - European patent administration certification
      • CSP – Candidate Support Programme
    • Learning resources by area of interest
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent granting
      • Technology transfer and dissemination
      • Patent enforcement and litigation
    • Learning resources by profile
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Business and IP managers
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Innovation case studies
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • SME case studies
          • Technology transfer case studies
          • High-growth technology case studies
        • Inventor's handbook
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Introduction
          • Disclosure and confidentiality
          • Novelty and prior art
          • Competition and market potential
          • Assessing the risk ahead
          • Proving the invention
          • Protecting your idea
          • Building a team and seeking funding
          • Business planning
          • Finding and approaching companies
          • Dealing with companies
        • Best of search matters
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Tools and databases
          • EPO procedures and initiatives
          • Search strategies
          • Challenges and specific topics
        • Support for high-growth technology businesses
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Business decision-makers
          • IP professionals
          • Stakeholders of the Innovation Ecosystem
      • EQE and EPAC Candidates
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Paper F brain-teasers
        • Daily D questions
        • European qualifying examination - Guide for preparation
        • EPAC
      • Judges, lawyers and prosecutors
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Compulsory licensing in Europe
        • The jurisdiction of European courts in patent disputes
      • National offices and IP authorities
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Learning material for examiners of national officers
        • Learning material for formalities officers and paralegals
      • Patent attorneys and paralegals
      • Universities, research centres and TTOs
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Modular IP Education Framework (MIPEF)
        • Pan-European Seal Young Professionals Programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • For students
          • For universities
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • IP education resources
            • University memberships
          • Our young professionals
          • Professional development plan
        • Academic Research Programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Completed research projects
          • Current research projects
        • IP Teaching Kit
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Download modules
        • Intellectual property course design manual
        • PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa
          • Go back
          • The PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa initiative (KT2A)
          • KT2A core activities
          • Success story: Malawi University of Science and Technology and PATLIB Birmingham
  • About us
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • The EPO at a glance
    • 50 years of the EPC
      • Go back
      • Official celebrations
      • Overview
      • Member states’ video statements
        • Go back
        • Albania
        • Austria
        • Belgium
        • Bulgaria
        • Croatia
        • Cyprus
        • Czech Republic
        • Denmark
        • Estonia
        • Finland
        • France
        • Germany
        • Greece
        • Hungary
        • Iceland
        • Ireland
        • Italy
        • Latvia
        • Liechtenstein
        • Lithuania
        • Luxembourg
        • Malta
        • Monaco
        • Montenegro
        • Netherlands
        • North Macedonia
        • Norway
        • Poland
        • Portugal
        • Romania
        • San Marino
        • Serbia
        • Slovakia
        • Slovenia
        • Spain
        • Sweden
        • Switzerland
        • Türkiye
        • United Kingdom
      • 50 Leading Tech Voices
      • Athens Marathon
      • Kids’ collaborative art competition
    • Legal foundations and member states
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Legal foundations
      • Member states
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Member states by date of accession
      • Extension states
      • Validation states
    • Administrative Council and subsidiary bodies
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Communiqués
        • Go back
        • 2024
        • Overview
        • 2023
        • 2022
        • 2021
        • 2020
        • 2019
        • 2018
        • 2017
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • 2013
      • Calendar
      • Documents and publications
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Select Committee documents
      • Administrative Council
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Composition
        • Representatives
        • Rules of Procedure
        • Board of Auditors
        • Secretariat
        • Council bodies
    • Principles & strategy
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Mission, vision, values & corporate policy
      • Strategic Plan 2028
        • Go back
        • Driver 1: People
        • Driver 2: Technologies
        • Driver 3: High-quality, timely products and services
        • Driver 4: Partnerships
        • Driver 5: Financial sustainability
      • Towards a New Normal
      • Data protection & privacy notice
    • Leadership & management
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • About the President
      • Management Advisory Committee
    • Sustainability at the EPO
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Environmental
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Inspiring environmental inventions
      • Social
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Inspiring social inventions
      • Governance and Financial sustainability
    • Procurement
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Procurement forecast
      • Doing business with the EPO
      • Procurement procedures
      • Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) publications
      • Sustainable Procurement Policy
      • About eTendering
      • Invoicing
      • Procurement portal
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • e-Signing contracts
      • General conditions
      • Archived tenders
    • Services & activities
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Our services & structure
      • Quality
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Foundations
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • European Patent Convention
          • Guidelines for examination
          • Our staff
        • Enabling quality
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Prior art
          • Classification
          • Tools
          • Processes
        • Products & services
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Search
          • Examination
          • Opposition
          • Continuous improvement
        • Quality through networking
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • User engagement
          • Co-operation
          • User satisfaction survey
          • Stakeholder Quality Assurance Panels
        • Patent Quality Charter
        • Quality Action Plan
        • Quality dashboard
        • Statistics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Search
          • Examination
          • Opposition
        • Integrated management at the EPO
      • Consulting our users
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Standing Advisory Committee before the EPO (SACEPO)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Objectives
          • SACEPO and its working parties
          • Meetings
          • Single Access Portal – SACEPO Area
        • Surveys
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Detailed methodology
          • Search services
          • Examination services, final actions and publication
          • Opposition services
          • Formalities services
          • Customer services
          • Filing services
          • Key Account Management (KAM)
          • Website
          • Archive
      • Our user service charter
      • European and international co-operation
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Co-operation with member states
          • Go back
          • Overview
        • Bilateral co-operation with non-member states
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Validation system
          • Reinforced Partnership programme
        • Multilateral international co-operation with IP offices and organisations
        • Co-operation with international organisations outside the IP system
      • European Patent Academy
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Partners
      • Chief Economist
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Economic studies
      • Ombuds Office
      • Reporting wrongdoing
    • Observatory on Patents and Technology
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Innovation against cancer
      • Innovation actors
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Startups and SMEs
      • Policy and funding
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Financing innovation programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Our studies on the financing of innovation
          • EPO initiatives for patent applicants
          • Financial support for innovators in Europe
        • Patents and standards
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Publications
          • Patent standards explorer
      • Tools
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Deep Tech Finder
      • About the Observatory
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Work plan
    • Transparency portal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • General
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Annual Review 2023
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Foreword
          • Executive summary
          • 50 years of the EPC
          • Strategic key performance indicators
          • Goal 1: Engaged and empowered
          • Goal 2: Digital transformation
          • Goal 3: Master quality
          • Goal 4: Partner for positive impact
          • Goal 5: Secure sustainability
        • Annual Review 2022
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Foreword
          • Executive summary
          • Goal 1: Engaged and empowered
          • Goal 2: Digital transformation
          • Goal 3: Master quality
          • Goal 4: Partner for positive impact
          • Goal 5: Secure sustainability
      • Human
      • Environmental
      • Organisational
      • Social and relational
      • Economic
      • Governance
    • Statistics and trends
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Statistics & Trends Centre
      • Patent Index 2024
        • Go back
        • Insight into computer technology and AI
        • Insight into clean energy technologies
        • Statistics and indicators
          • Go back
          • European patent applications
            • Go back
            • Key trend
            • Origin
            • Top 10 technical fields
              • Go back
              • Computer technology
              • Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
              • Digital communication
              • Medical technology
              • Transport
              • Measurement
              • Biotechnology
              • Pharmaceuticals
              • Other special machines
              • Organic fine chemistry
            • All technical fields
          • Applicants
            • Go back
            • Top 50
            • Categories
            • Women inventors
          • Granted patents
            • Go back
            • Key trend
            • Origin
            • Designations
      • Data to download
      • EPO Data Hub
      • Clarification on data sources
    • History
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
    • Art collection
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • The collection
      • Let's talk about art
      • Artists
      • Media library
      • What's on
      • Publications
      • Contact
      • Culture Space A&T 5-10
        • Go back
        • Catalyst lab & Deep vision
          • Go back
          • Irene Sauter (DE)
          • AVPD (DK)
          • Jan Robert Leegte (NL)
          • Jānis Dzirnieks (LV) #1
          • Jānis Dzirnieks (LV) #2
          • Péter Szalay (HU)
          • Thomas Feuerstein (AT)
          • Tom Burr (US)
          • Wolfgang Tillmans (DE)
          • TerraPort
          • Unfinished Sculpture - Captives #1
          • Deep vision – immersive exhibition
          • Previous exhibitions
        • The European Patent Journey
        • Sustaining life. Art in the climate emergency
        • Next generation statements
        • Open storage
        • Cosmic bar
      • "Long Night"
  • Boards of Appeal
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Decisions of the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Recent decisions
      • Selected decisions
    • Information from the Boards of Appeal
    • Procedure
    • Oral proceedings
    • About the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • President of the Boards of Appeal
      • Enlarged Board of Appeal
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Pending referrals (Art. 112 EPC)
        • Decisions sorted by number (Art. 112 EPC)
        • Pending petitions for review (Art. 112a EPC)
        • Decisions on petitions for review (Art. 112a EPC)
      • Technical Boards of Appeal
      • Legal Board of Appeal
      • Disciplinary Board of Appeal
      • Presidium
        • Go back
        • Overview
    • Code of Conduct
    • Business distribution scheme
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Technical boards of appeal by IPC in 2025
      • Archive
    • Annual list of cases
    • Communications
    • Annual reports
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • Publications
      • Go back
      • Abstracts of decisions
    • Case Law of the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Archive
  • Service & support
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Website updates
    • Availability of online services
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • FAQ
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • Publications
    • Ordering
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent Knowledge Products and Services
      • Terms and conditions
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Patent information products
        • Bulk data sets
        • Open Patent Services (OPS)
        • Fair use charter
    • Procedural communications
    • Useful links
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent offices of member states
      • Other patent offices
      • Directories of patent attorneys
      • Patent databases, registers and gazettes
      • Disclaimer
    • Contact us
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Filing options
      • Locations
    • Subscription centre
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Subscribe
      • Change preferences
      • Unsubscribe
    • Official holidays
    • Glossary
    • RSS feeds
Board of Appeals
Decisions

Recent decisions

Overview
  • 2025 decisions
  • 2024 decisions
  • 2023 decisions
  1. Home
  2. T 2279/13 13-07-2018
Facebook X Linkedin Email

T 2279/13 13-07-2018

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2018:T227913.20180713
Date of decision
13 July 2018
Case number
T 2279/13
Petition for review of
-
Application number
03739294.1
IPC class
A47J 27/21
A47J 27/00
F24C 5/10
Language of proceedings
EN
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)

Download and more information:

Decision in EN 364.07 KB
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the European Patent Register
Bibliographic information is available in:
EN
Versions
Unpublished
Application title

HEATING VESSEL

Applicant name
Jetboil, Inc.
Opponent name
Primus AB
Board
3.2.04
Headnote
-
Relevant legal provisions
European Patent Convention Art 123(2)
European Patent Convention Art 104(1)
Rules of procedure of the Boards of Appeal Art 13(1)
Rules of procedure of the Boards of Appeal Art 13(3)
Keywords

Late-filed request - admitted (yes)

Amendments - extension beyond the content of the application as filed (yes)

Apportionment of costs - (no)

Catchword
-
Cited decisions
G 0009/92
G 0001/99
Citing decisions
-

I. The appellant-opponent lodged an appeal, received on 4 November 2013, against the interlocutory decision of the Opposition Division of the European Patent Office posted on 29 August 2013 concerning maintenance of the European Patent No. 1 521 540 in amended form, and simultaneously paid the fee for appeal. The statement setting out the grounds of appeal was received on 8 January 2014.

II. Opposition was filed against the patent as a whole and based on Article 100(a) EPC (lack of novelty and inventive step), Article 100(b) EPC (insufficiency of disclosure) and Article 100(c) EPC (unallowable extension of subject-matter).

The Opposition Division held that the patent according to the then valid auxiliary request 1 met the requirements of the Convention.

III. Oral proceedings before the Board were held on 13 July 2018.

IV. The appellant-opponent requests that the decision under appeal be set aside, and that the European patent No. 1 521 540 be revoked. He further requests apportionment of costs under Article 104(1) EPC.

The respondent-proprietor requests that the decision under appeal be set aside and the patent be maintained in an amended form on the basis of the main request, or in the alternative, on the basis of any of the First to Fifth auxiliary requests, all filed with letter dated 12 June 2018.

V. The wording of claim 1 reads as follows:

(a) Main request

" A system for heating a substance, the system comprising:

a vessel (100) having enclosed sides, a thermally conductive bottom end (114) and a top end (115) forming an opening for the introduction and extraction of the substance, the bottom end (114) having an external bottom side (116) having a central area (118) for receiving heat;

a series of integrally connected, thermally conductive protrusions (160; 1100) comprising a continuous piece of material fixedly secured to, extending continuously around a peripheral region of said external bottom side (116), and extending from the vessel external bottom side so as to define with the central area a cavity with a first diameter;

a heater (130) comprising a heat source (302) having a heat outlet header in the form of a burner head disposed below said cavity, and with a heat outlet at a fixed distance from said external bottom side and having a fuel intake port configured to couple to a fuel source, the heat outlet header configured to deliver heat to the cavity said burner head being generally round in shape and having a second diameter that is less than said first diameter,

wherein said protrusions extend from the external bottom side to a distance about equal to said fixed distance;

a top housing having a top rim coupled circumferentially to the external bottom side and encasing the protrusions, the housing having a series of exhaust vents formed therein and having a bottom rim;

a bottom housing configured to couple to the bottom rim and substantially encasing the heat source, the bottom housing having a set of air inlet vents formed therein, wherein a gas flow path is formed from the air inlet vents to the exhaust vents via the heat outlet."

(b) First auxiliary request

Claim 1 is as in main request but inserts the following text (underscored):

"...a series of integrally, thermally conductive protrusions (160; 1100) comprising a single continuous piece of material formed in a circular fin arrangement and fixedly secured to, extending continuously around..."

(c) Second auxiliary request

Claim 1 is as in the first auxiliary request with the addition of the following features at the end of claim 1 of the first auxiliary request (underscored):

"...the air inlet vents to the exhaust vents via the heat outlet, and

wherein said protrusions (1100) are formed by undulations in a protrusion piece, the undulations being distributed about the cavity having a cavity axis and forming the protrusion piece into a ring of the protrusions, which extends substantially parallel to the cavity axis, and a series of connecting segments (1112) between adjacent protrusions."

(d) Third auxiliary request

Claim 1 is as in second auxiliary request but inserts the following text at the end of the claim (underscored):

"...between adjacent protrusions;

wherein the undulations allow alternate connecting segments to provide a substantial planar area for attachment to the vessel."

(e) Fourth auxiliary request

Claim 1 as in third auxiliary request but inserts the following text (underscored):

"...a series of integrally connected, thermally conductive protrusions (160; 1100) comprising a single continuous piece of material formed in a circular fin arrangement and fixedly secured to, extending continuously around a peripheral region of said external bottom side (116), and extending from the vessel external bottom side so as to define with the central area a cavity with a first diameter, wherein the protrusions are coupled circumferentially about the central area;..."

(f) Fifth auxiliary request

Claim 1 as in fourth auxiliary request but inserts the following text (underscored):

"...a heater (130) comprising a heat source (302) having a heat outlet header in the form of a burner head disposed below said cavity, and with a heat outlet at a fixed distance from said external bottom side and having a fuel intake port configured to couple to a fuel source, the fixed distance being about equal to the distance extended by the protrusions, the heat outlet header configured to deliver heat to the cavity said burner head being generally round in shape and having a second diameter that is less than said first diameter,..."

VI. The appellant-opponent argued as follows:

All final requests of 12 June 2018 are late filed and should not be admitted. Claim 1 of all requests contains subject-matter that extends beyond the contents of the originally filed application documents. Unforeseeable substantial amendments filed during the oral proceedings before the Opposition Division have caused very protracted oral proceedings and the need for a subsequent stage of written proceedings to amend the description associated with unnecessary attorney fees. These could have been avoided if the patentee would have filed his requests, amended claims and amended description in due time. Thus the request for apportionment of costs is justified.

VII. The respondent-proprietor argued as follows:

The new requests of 12 June 2018 only address, and resolve, issues in the communication of the Board in preparation for the oral proceedings and are therefore admissible. Clear and immediate basis for all claims of the main and the auxiliary requests can be found in the originally filed application documents. The behaviour of the patentee during opposition proceedings is within the limits of a normal defence of his patent and does not constitute an abuse of proceedings. Imposing costs of the appellant-opponent on the respondent-proprietor is not justified.

1. The appeal is admissible.

2. Background

The claimed invention is concerned with a system for heating liquids, essentially a highly efficient camping cooker, see main embodiment, figure 1. The system comprises a vessel 100 and a heater 130 with a heat source/burner head 302 configured to deliver heat to the external bottom side of the vessel. Vessel and heat source can be decoupled to facilitate storage and transport, especially in the case of portable systems. Since the user of portable systems must also carry the fuel, high heat exchange efficiency is desirable to reduce carrying weight. According to the claimed invention a series of protrusions (fins) 160 extend from the external bottom side 116 of the vessel whilst the heat outlet of the burner head 302 is required to be disposed at a fixed position with respect to the heat transfer elements of the vessel, namely the fins and the bottom side of the vessel. A highly efficient heat exchanger with an effective position of the flame is thereby achieved, wherein the flame is encircled by the fins. As a consequence a large majority of the heat is transferred to the external bottom side of the vessel either directly or indirectly through the fins, avoiding heat losses, see paragraphs [001]-[0015],[0044] and [0046] of the patent specification.

3. Admissibility of main request

The respondent-proprietor filed with letter dated 12 June 2018, one month before the oral proceedings, a new main request. The admission of such a request is at the discretion of the Board, Article 13 RPBA.

The appellant-opponent contested during the oral proceedings the admissibility of the new main request. The reasons advanced by the appellant-opponent are that this request does not address all the issues already raised for the previous requests on file and is thus not clearly allowable as is normally required for late filed requests and that it furthermore violates the principle of reformatio in peius, while the exception to this principle as expounded in G 1/99 (OJ 2001, 381) is not applicable in the present case.

In the Board's view prima facie allowability has to be understood in the context of the procedural economy criteria cited in Article 13(1) and 13(3) RPBA. Article 13(3) RPBA specifically directs the attention to the question whether the treatment of the issues raised by an amendment can reasonably be expected from the opposing party (or the Board) still in the oral proceedings. In the present case, it is immediately apparent that the new claim 1 successfully removes by way of amendment before commencement of the oral proceedings several of the issues raised by the appellant-opponent himself and by the communication of the Board of 17 May 2018 without at the same time raising any new one. It therefore clearly helps the procedure move forward by removing outstanding issues which no longer need to be discussed thus shortening the oral proceedings, rather than requiring adjournment. New claim 1 is additionally further restricted in scope vis-a-vis the upheld claim 1 and thus does not put the opponent and sole appellant in a worse situation. Thus the principle of the prohibition of the reformatio in peius, as set out in G 9/92 (OJ 1994, 875) is not violated. As it is clear from this decision, a non-appealing patent proprietor is not barred from making any amendments at all, as a question of principle: Amendments "may be rejected as inadmissible by the Board of Appeal if they are neither appropriate nor necessary", see Headnote, Point 2. While it is true that the present case is not one comparable to the case considered in G 1/99 (supra), it does not follow from this fact that the respondent proprietor cannot make any amendments whatsoever.

For the above reasons the Board decided to admit the new main request into the proceedings.

4. Added subject-matter - Article 123(2) EPC

4.1 The appellant-opponent contests the conclusions of the Opposition Division in respect of the feature of upheld claim 1 that the "heat outlet header in the form of a burner head [is] disposed below [the] cavity" defined by thermally conductive protrusions (reasons 3.2). The protrusions are disposed around a peripheral region of the vessel external bottom side and define the referred cavity together with the external bottom side. The conclusions of the Opposition Division also holds for the same feature of claim 1 of the new main request.

In the originally filed documents there is no explicit mention or literal basis for the particular new claimed location of the burner head below the cavity or the protrusions. Thus the question whether a burner head located below the cavity defined by the protrusions is otherwise originally directly and unambiguously disclosed, or not, requires detailed consideration.

4.2 As noted by the Opposition Division, the objected feature of claim 1 not only recites that the burner head (or heat outlet - new main request) is located below the cavity defined by the protrusions but also that it is disposed at a "fixed distance" from the external bottom side of the vessel, which according to the impugned decision must be read in combination with the further feature of the claim that the protrusions extend from the external bottom side to a distance about equal to said fixed distance, paragraph [0012]. The finding of the appealed decision is based entirely on the conclusion that the term "about equal" in paragraph [0012] would encompass a range of values for the extension of the protrusions that includes positions above and below the fixed distance of the heat outlet, so that the totality of the now claimed features essentially define that the term "below" must be construed as meaning "just below" the cavity. Thus in the opinion of the Opposition Division the feature "about equal" and the express statement in the description that the head can be "below" the cavity would provide a clear and unambiguous basis for the feature below the cavity now expressly claimed, as is also put forward by the respondent-proprietor.

4.3 The appellant-opponent however contends that, contrary to the findings of the Opposition Division, there is no literal or express original disclosure for a heat outlet (or burner head) being disposed "below" the cavity, whether just below or generally below. He also submits that there is no direct and unambiguous disclosure of the feature either as such or in specific combination with the other features of the new claim. The location below the cavity would be in the opinion of the appellant-opponent furthermore contrary to the teachings of the original disclosure that indicate preference for a location within the cavity rather than below.

4.4 Through the introduction of further features of originally filed claim 1, claim 1 of the main request is now restricted to the embodiment of figures 1-5 having a top housing with a top rim circumferentially coupled to the external bottom side of the vessel. According to the relevant description of this embodiment in respect of the relative position between burner head and fins or protrusions for this embodiment, paragraph [0043] of the published application, the burner head is "disposed within the inner circumference of ring of fins 160" and "the inner diameter of the fins 160 is made sufficiently large is [sic] encircle the burner 302...", which means that the burner head extends above the lower end of the protrusions or fixed distance as it is within or encircled within the cavity. It is also recited in that paragraph that in this configuration the flame is encircled by the fins, with the result that high heat transfer is achieved. Furthermore, in figure 3, the only figure that shows the position of the burner with respect to the cavity, the burner head and the heat outlet, consistently with the above referred paragraph [0043] of the description, extend clearly into the cavity, i.e. clearly above the lower limit of the cavity defined by the protrusions. Thus in the Board's understanding the skilled person when reading the range of values about equal or less, also recited in original paragraph [0043], in the context of that particular embodiment would interpret it as excluding positions of the burner head or heat outlet below or just below the the cavity, as this embodiment only describes a burner head that is clearly positioned within the cavity. The Board thus considers that the skilled person cannot directly and unambiguously derive from the originally filed documents the specific combination of features of valid claim 1 with a burner head positioned below the cavity defined by the protrusions.

4.5 It is true that original claim 1, see also paragraph 12 of the description of the published application, already specified that the protrusions extended from the external bottom side by a distance "about equal or greater than the fixed distance" of the heat outlet of the heat source, which would encompass a range of positions of the heat outlet within to just below the protrusions, as held by the contested decision. Claim 1 of the main request is now limited exclusively to embodiments with the burner head located at a position which may be qualified as just below the lower limit of the cavity (but under no circumstances level with or above it). The claim thus effectively claims a new range of values "below the cavity" that excludes the burner head being situated at an "equal" distance, i.e. at the lower cavity limit. However, this specific range including locations below the cavity but excluding the lower limit of the cavity ("equal" distance), is not described either implicitly or explicitly in the originally filed documents. Therefore the new wording adds a restriction to the subject-matter of claim 1 in the form of a feature that is not directly and unambiguously derivable from the original documents.

4.6 The respondent-proprietor contends in this context that figures 6b and 12 show embodiments with the heat outlet below the cavity. Firstly, those figures correspond to embodiments no longer falling under the scope of the new claims, as here no top housing is provided which is coupled circumferentially to the bottom side and encasing the protrusions. Even so, because of the perspective view chosen, either from the front right (figure 6b) or directly in front (figure 12) but in both cases from a vantage point looking down on the respective heater/cookers it cannot be conclusively established that burner 632 as heater outlet (figure 6b) is indeed located below the lower limit of the protrusions 660. For example, a line drawn in the plane of the cross-section and connecting the lower edges of the protrusions would appear to intersect the top of the burner at the cross-section plane. The further contentions of the respondent-proprietor about the technical teachings in original paragraph [0097] regarding heat flow from the burner that would be horizontal or unimpeded by the protrusions are based on the assumption that figure 12 shows a heat outlet below the cavity. As the Board considers this not to be the case, these submissions are therefore clearly not relevant.

4.7 The Board consequently holds that, contrary to the provisions of Article 123(2) EPC, the subject-matter of claim 1 according to the main request extends beyond the contents of the application as filed, because the feature that the heat outlet header in the form of a burner head is below a cavity defined by thermally conductive protrusions is not directly and unambiguously derivable by the skilled person from the originally filed application documents.

5. Auxiliary requests 1-5

All auxiliary requests 1-5 contain the above contested feature that the burner head is positioned below the cavity defined by thermally conductive protrusions. Consequently, without prejudice to the question of their formal admissibility, these requests are clearly not allowable due to lack of compliance with the provisions of Article 123(2) EPC for the same reasons as the main request as expounded above.

6. Apportionment of costs

The appellant-opponent contests the decision of the Opposition Division not to order a different apportionment of costs in the sense of Article 104 EPC, see section 9 of the impugned decision.

Under Article 104(1) EPC, each party must, as a rule, meet the costs it has incurred, unless reasons of equity justify to order otherwise.

6.1 The appellant-opponent submits that oral proceedings before the Opposition Division were very protracted due to the failure of the proprietor to timely file complete sets of auxiliary requests. Therefore substantial further amendments to the claims had to be filed during the oral proceedings, which in turn required the opponent to spend most of his time to analyse the late filed amendments without being able to consider the description. This occasioned additional written proceedings to adapt the description, which again caused unnecessary attorney fees.

6.2 In the present case, although the complete set of claims was filed during the oral proceedings before the Opposition Division, claim 1 as upheld is substantially based on claim 1 according to auxiliary request 4 previously filed on 4 October 2011 by the deadline set by the Opposition Division. The substantial part of the subject-matter that is the object of the main discussions, in particular that of claim 1, was therefore filed four months before the date of the first instance oral proceedings, which in the Board's view allows enough time for proper preparation.

It is also not unusual that, depending on the complexity of the case, for example as in the present case where there are several objections such as added subject-matter, clarity, novelty and inventive step for claim 1 raised against various requests and also requiring amendments to the dependent claims, final adaptation of the description is left for subsequent written proceedings if this is not feasible within the limited time available for oral proceedings.

Whether or not all issues can be dealt with and decided in an oral proceedings depends not only on the conduct of the parties but also on how the opposition division conducts the proceedings. While a cooperative attitude is certainly always expected from the parties to the proceedings, it is first of all the duty of the competent department of the EPO to make sure that only such amendments are admitted which can reasonably be dealt with by the other party at the given procedural stage. It appears to the Board that in the present case, if the objectionable late requests might have caused excessive effort and cost on the part of the opponent (though the Board is not convinced that this is so as explained above), then this could have been avoided by the Opposition Division, for example by using its discretion as outlined in the Guidelines for Examination (in the version of 2013 applicable at the time) E-V 2.2 and H-II, 2.7.1. It does not appear equitable to the Board that the respondent proprietor should bear the costs for a possible omission or misjudgement on the part of the Opposition Division.

The Board is thus in the present case unable to clearly attribute the cause of the allegedly excessive duration of the oral proceedings mainly to the amendments filed during the oral proceedings by the proprietor to such an extent to constitute an abuse of procedure that might justify a different apportionment of costs for reasons of equity.

Furthermore, in the absence of a clear indication, the Board is generally reluctant to interfere with the conclusions of an opposition division, which was a direct witness to the parties' behaviour and is consequently in a better position to judge it.

6.3 In view of the above, the Board sees no reasons to deviate from the decision of the Opposition Division not to order a different apportionment of costs.

Order

For these reasons it is decided that:

1. The decision under appeal is set aside.

2. The patent is revoked.

Footer - Service & support
  • Service & support
    • Website updates
    • Availability of online services
    • FAQ
    • Publications
    • Procedural communications
    • Contact us
    • Subscription centre
    • Official holidays
    • Glossary
Footer - More links
  • Jobs & careers
  • Press centre
  • Single Access Portal
  • Procurement
  • Boards of Appeal
Facebook
European Patent Office
EPO Jobs
Instagram
EuropeanPatentOffice
Linkedin
European Patent Office
EPO Jobs
EPO Procurement
X (formerly Twitter)
EPOorg
EPOjobs
Youtube
TheEPO
Footer
  • Legal notice
  • Terms of use
  • Data protection and privacy
  • Accessibility