Article 41

EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE

Information from the EPO

Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 22 April 2024 concerning the abolition of facsimile (fax) as a means of filing patent applications and other documents

The President of the European Patent Office, having regard to Rule 2(1) of the Implementing Regulations to the European Patent Convention, Rule 92.4 of the Regulations under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and Rule 20(2)(a) of the Rules relating to Unitary Patent Protection, has decided as follows:

Article 1

Abolition of facsimile (fax) as a means of filing patent applications and other documents

(1) Patent applications and other documents may not be filed by fax at the European Patent Office.

(2) Any transmission of a patent application or other document by fax to the European Patent Office shall be deemed not to have been received.

Article 2

Previous decision superseded

Once this decision enters into force, the decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 20 February 2019 concerning the filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile (OJ EPO 2019, A18) will cease to have effect.

Article 3

Entry into force

This decision will enter into force on 1 July 2024.

Done at Munich, 22 April 2024

António CAMPINOS

President