European patent applications and international (PCT) applications may be filed with the EPO in electronic form either online or on electronic data carriers (see the Decision of the President of the EPO dated 10 November 2015, OJ EPO 2015, A91). At present, the data carriers permitted are CD-R as per ISO 9660 and DVD-R or DVD+R (see the Decision of the President of the EPO dated 12 July 2007, Special edition No. 3, OJ EPO 2007, A.5). Unless the use of other software is permitted, documents making up a European or an international patent application in electronic form must be prepared using either
Other documents may also be filed electronically in proceedings under the EPC (see the Decision of the President of the EPO dated 10 November 2015, OJ EPO 2015, A91).
European patent applications may also be filed in electronic form with the competent national authorities of those contracting states which so permit.