Why might I be interested in selecting the EPO as ISA?

If you are a national or resident of any of the countries the receiving Office of which has specified the EPO as ISA – including in the framework of a pilot such as the pilot projects with CNIPA and IP Australia (IPA)), selecting the EPO as ISA may be interesting if you later intend to obtain protection of your invention in Europe. A European patent can be validated not only in all of the EPO's 39 member states but also in seven other states (at present Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Georgia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Republic of Moldova, Morocco and Tunisia).

If you choose the EPO as ISA, the international search report it issues will provide you with a sound basis for taking an informed decision on whether or not to enter the European phase and the national phase in any of the other PCT contracting states. In addition, selecting the EPO as ISA will save you time and money when you enter the European phase. For more information, see section “Is there any accelerating effect on the EPO’s grant proceedings by choosing the EPO as ISA?”

Having an international search report established by the EPO as ISA also means you will have the option of filing a demand under Chapter II PCT for international preliminary examination before the EPO as IPEA. This optional procedure includes a top-up search prior to examination to check for any intermediate prior art that might have become available since the international search report was established, an opportunity to talk to the examiner in a telephone consultation and the possibility of obtaining a second written opinion if you file amendments with the demand. Furthermore, if the EPO as IPEA has established an international preliminary examination report, and you decide to enter the European phase, the European examination fee is reduced by 75%, which amounts to a considerable saving on top of the saving already made on a European supplementary search.