INFORMATION FROM THE EPO
Notice dated 13 April 1999 concerning revised Form 1200
A revised Form 1200 has been introduced for entry into the regional phase before the EPO. In Section 10.1, Cyprus1 has been added as a contracting state; and in Section 11 the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia2 has been added as an "extension state". In Section 8, the requirements regarding any information to be provided under Rule 28(1)(c) EPC have been made more precise. If the file number (accession number) of the culture deposit as assigned by the depositary institution is not indicated in the patent application, the deposit must be identified in the patent application as filed in such a way that the later submitted file number (accession number) can be traced back without ambiguity. This is usually done by indicating the identification reference given to the micro-organism by the depositor within the meaning of Rule 6.1(iv) of the Budapest Treaty (see also Decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal G 2/93 (OJ EPO 1995, 275)).
Apart from minor editorial changes, the form otherwise remains the same. The revised form will therefore not be printed in the Official Journal for the time being. The code for the revised form is "EPA/EPO/OEB Form 1200 04.99". Applicants can continue to use the old version3 of the form without prejudice to their rights. The notes relating to Form 1200 remain unchanged.
The form is obtainable free of charge from the EPO (preferably from Vienna, but also from Munich, The Hague and Berlin) and the central industrial property offices of the contracting states. An editable version in pdf and Word for Windows4 formats is available on the Office's website (www.european-patent-office.org).