INFORMATION FROM THE EPO
Decisions of the EPO boards of appeal on the Internet
The decisions of the EPO technical boards of appeal (T decisions) despatched to the parties to the proceedings after 1 January 1997 are now available free of charge on the EPO web site (http://www.european-patent-office.org). The database can be accessed by selecting first "Search and Index" then "Decisions of the EPO boards of appeal" on the EPO home page.
Access to the decisions is via the case number (format: T_nnnn/yy, where n = serial number and y = year) or the full text search system. The texts of the decisions can be displayed and printed in the same layout as that sent to the parties. The texts are stored in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To display and print data, users will need the Freeware Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded via the Internet free of charge (www.adobe.com).
The decisions contain hyperlinks to the International Patent Classification (IPC) and the provisions of the European Patent Convention.
Decisions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal and the Legal Board of Appeal, together with decisions taken in protest proceedings and T decisions despatched prior to 1997 will be included in the database gradually over the next few months.