Driving the digital shift: highlights from the eSACEPO meeting
At its 11th annual meeting on 24 March 2026, the Working Party on e-Patent Process of the Standing Advisory Committee before the European Patent Office (eSACEPO) discussed recent digital developments at the European Patent Office (EPO). Topics included the paperless patent granting process (PGP) in 2027, MyEPO services, DOCX filing and artificial intelligence (AI). The Working Party members expressed broad support for the ongoing transition towards efficient, user-friendly and fully digital workflows.
Paperless by default: the road to 2027
The meeting opened with an update on the EPO's progress towards delivering a fully digitalised and paperless PGP, highlighting key milestones and planned actions for implementation in 2027. The discussion also addressed the legal changes required to enable increased use of digital services.
Electronic filing will become the standard, with paper filings remaining possible only in limited cases. Electronic notification will likewise become the default.
Users raised questions regarding last‑day filings and outages, which the EPO confirmed are explicitly foreseen under the legal framework.
Members welcomed the progress made and look forward to further developments, including the introduction of XML-based structured data.
Updates on MyEPO, DOCX filing and the Legal Interactive Platform
The EPO described the transition as “soft and supportive”, designed to ensure equal access, with MyEPO increasingly becoming the main platform for digital interaction.
Building on this, a range of improvements to MyEPO were presented, including the option to file colour drawings, a redesigned interface and the new Timeline feature. The platform continues to evolve based on user feedback. Members welcomed both the progress made and planned developments for 2026. In particular, they highlighted self-service features, such as acceleration requests and inquiries, as key enablers of fully paperless workflows.
In parallel, end‑to‑end DOCX format filing is being finalised ahead of its entry into force on 1 April 2026. The use of DOCX will not be compulsory, and users will have the option to file a PDF copy as a backup. Safeguards such as this have been widely appreciated by users. Updates were also shared on the Legal Interactive Platform (LIP) which continues to improve through user feedback and upgrades to its AI model. While remaining grounded exclusively in EPO legal texts and providing source references, the LIP is progressively being extended to national patent offices (NPOs). Members confirmed the platform’s usefulness and noted strong interest from NPOs.
AI in the PGP, with humans firmly in control
Artificial intelligence sparked lively exchanges, with presentations covering its use across the PGP, from search and classification to drafting support and preparing oral proceedings minutes.
Throughout the discussion, members stressed the importance of the EPO’s human-centric approach. The EPO reaffirmed this commitment and emphasised that, in line with its AI policy, AI tools support and complement human decision-making, while responsibility remains firmly with human actors.
Looking ahead
In closing, the EPO thanked participants for their active contributions and noted that the meeting marked the conclusion of the 2024–2026 eSACEPO cycle. Nominations for the next three-year eSACEPO cycle will be launched later in 2026.
About SACEPO Working Party on e-Patent Process
The SACEPO Working Party on e-Patent Process is the annual dedicated user forum supporting the EPO's efforts towards digital transformation. It brings together experts in patent prosecution to exchange on the digitalisation of the patent granting process, online services such as MyEPO, and related legal and technical developments. Member feedback helps drive continuous improvement of the EPO’s digital tools and services.
