Pages 343-344

INFORMATION FROM THE EPO

Information about the European Patent Office Web site on the Internet

1. The EPO on the Internet

Since 1995 the European Patent Office has had its own Web site on the Internet. The address is:

http://www.epo.co.at/epo/

2. Content of the Web site

At present the Web site includes the following:

• general information about the European Patent Organisation and the European Patent Office
• information about patent information products and services on offer from EPIDOS (the EPO's Vienna sub-office)
• notes on the European patent grant procedure
• current fees with equivalents in the currencies of all the EPC contracting states
• the EPO's application forms
• the on-line searchable Directory of professional representatives before the EPO
• the list of courses/conferences/exhibitions organised by the EPO
• the Annual Reports of the EPO
• the Trilateral Statistical Report
• the list of corrected patent documents
• the major brochures concerning the EPO together with the major users' guides for EPO products
• a steadily updated directory of patent-related Web sites on the Internet
• password protected fields containing specific information (ie for Patent Information Centres)
• the Official Journal of the EPO
• (soon to be published) the European Patent Convention (to search, download or browse).

The EPO Web site is also hosting the pages of the central industrial property offices of Italy, the Hellenic Republic, Monaco, Belgium and the page of the epi (Institute of Professional Representatives before the EPO).

An index and various update sections help users find their way around the Web site.

3. EPO application forms

The EPO forms used by applicants1 were recently added to the Web site in pdf format, ie in non-editable image form.

In addition, the Request for Grant form (EPA/EPO/OEB Form 1001) and the form for entry into the regional phase before the EPO (EPA/EPO/OEB Form 1200) are also available in Word for Windows format (Version 6.0). Applicants with the requisite software can download these two forms onto their PCs, fill them in and print them out on their printer. The EPO accepts forms printed in this way alongside the pre-printed versions available from EPO information desks2.