Patent literature citations now solely digital
Patent literature documents cited in search and examination proceedings under the EPC and PCT can be accessed via Espacenet. Paper copies are no longer provided.
As previously announced, the EPO now makes cited patent literature in search and examination proceedings under the EPC and the PCT available only in electronic format. Users of MyEPO Portfolio, who receive around 75% of all notified documents, continue to receive those documents electronically in their mailboxes. Users still relying on postal delivery of search reports, search opinions, international preliminary examination reports and communications from examining divisions can access cited patent literature via Espacenet, the world’s largest search tool containing over 150 million patent documents.
Paper copies of patent literature documents cited in search and examination proceedings under the EPC and PCT will no longer be provided. Non-patent literature and translations of cited patent literature will still be sent on paper.
Increased sustainability
By providing users with instant and easy access to patent documents cited during the patent granting process (PGP) via its state-of-the-art tools, the EPO will save six million paper pages per year. Printed double-sided, this amounts to three million sheets of A4 paper, which would stack to a height of 185 m – twice the height of Big Ben in London! This represents another important step toward increased sustainability through a paperless PGP, in line with the Strategic Plan (SP2028).
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