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In proceedings before the European Patent Office, documents may be filed by delivery by hand, by postal services or by means of electronic communication. The President of the European Patent Office shall lay down the details and conditions and, where appropriate, any special formal or technical requirements for the filing of documents. In particular, he may specify that confirmation must be supplied. If such confirmation is not supplied in due time, the European patent application shall be refused; documents filed subsequently shall be deemed not to have been received.
(2)
Where the Convention provides that a document must be signed, the authenticity of the document may be confirmed by handwritten signature or other appropriate means the use of which has been permitted by the President of the European Patent Office. A document authenticated by such other means shall be deemed to meet the legal requirements of signature in the same way as a document bearing a handwritten signature which has been filed in paper form.
See decision of the President of the EPO of 12.07.2007 concerning the electronic signatures, data carriers and software to be used for the electronic filing of patent applications and other documents (Special edition No. 3, OJ EPO 2007, A.5) as well as decision of the President of the EPO of 13.05.2020 concerning the filing of documents during telephone consultations and during interviews and oral proceedings held by videoconference (OJ EPO 2020, A71).
See decision of the President of the EPO of 20.02.2019 concerning the filing of patent applications and other documents by facsimile (OJ EPO 2019, A18).
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See "decision of the President of the EPO of "14.05.2021 concerning the electronic filing of documents "("OJ EPO 2021, A42) and " decision of the President of the EPO of 08.07.2022 concerning the version of the EPO Online Filing software to be used for the electronic filing of documents (OJ EPO 2022, A70).
See decision of the President of the EPO of 11.03.2015 concerning the pilot project to introduce new means of electronic communication in EPO proceedings (OJ EPO 2015, A28)", decision of the President of the EPO and notice from the EPO of 11.05.2022 concerning the web-based online service MyEPO Portfolio (OJ EPO 2022, A51 and OJ EPO 2022, A52) and decision of the Vice-President DG5 of the EPO and notice from the EPO of 10.10.2022 concerning phase 2 of the MyEPO Portfolio pilot project (OJ EPO 2022, A93 and OJ EPO 2022, A94).
