European Patent Office

Article 11

Citation: OJ EPO 2017, A11

Online publication date: 28.2.2017

EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE
Information from the EPO

Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 3 January 2017 designating the EPO's filing offices

The President of the European Patent Office, having regard to Article 10(2)(a) EPC and Rule 2(1) EPC, has decided as follows:

Article 1

Filing offices of the European Patent Office

(1) For the purposes of Article 75(1)(a) EPC and Rule 35(1) EPC, the European Patent Office (EPO) has filing offices at its headquarters (Isar) and PschorrHöfe buildings in Munich, its branch at The Hague and its Berlin sub-office.1

(2) The EPO's sub-office in Vienna is not a filing office for the purposes of Article 75(1)(a) EPC and Rule 35(1) EPC. Patent applications filed with the Vienna sub-office are forwarded to one of the filing offices and will only be accorded a filing date on receipt by the latter.

(3) The filing offices in Munich (PschorrHöfe building only, Zollstrasse) and Berlin are equipped with automated mail-boxes which may be used at any time. There is no automated mail-box at the filing offices in the Isar building and at The Hague. Outside office hours, at all the filing offices, documents may be handed to the porter.

(4) Documents in proceedings under the EPC may be filed with the EPO in electronic form, using its case management system (CMS) or web-form filing service, or by fax. Special provisions apply when filing certain types of documents, such as authorisations and priority documents.2

Article 2

Opening hours of the filing offices

(1) The EPO's filing offices are open for the receipt of documents during the working hours of the site in question.1

(2) The filing offices are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.3

Article 3

Previous decisions superseded

Upon the entry into force of this decision, the decision of the President dated 12 July 2007 concerning the designation of the EPO filing offices (Special edition No. 3, OJ EPO 2007, A.1) will cease to apply.

Article 4

Entry into force

This decision will enter into force on 1 April 2017.

Done at Munich, 3 January 2017

Benoît BATTISTELLI

President

 

 

1 For their addresses, fax numbers and opening hours, see the notice from the EPO dated 3 January 2017 (OJ EPO 2017, A12).

2 See decisions of the President of the EPO, OJ EPO 2007, Special edition No. 3, A.3, A.5; OJ EPO 2015, A91; OJ EPO 2012, 348; OJ EPO 2015, A26; OJ EPO 2015, A27; and OJ EPO 2014, A98.

3 For the days on which they are closed, see the notice from the President of the EPO published each year in the EPO Official Journal, or go to www.epo.org.