Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Answers to questions such as: What are patents for? What other forms of intellectual property (IP) are there? How can you find out if your invention is new?

• What are patents and what do they protect?
• Where can I find information about utility models, copyright, trade marks and designs?
• I have an invention. How can I find out if something similar already exists and has been patented?

Answers to questions about the process of filing for a patent, related fees and costs and the lifecycle of patent applications:

• What do I have to do to apply for a European patent?
• Read all answers to your questions in the full FAQ

Answers to questions about patent procedures – including recent changes to them – and legal topics such as the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court, divided into the following categories:

• Procedure and law
• Unitary Patent
• Unified Patent Court
• Main changes to the Arrangements for deposit accounts and their annexes with effect from 1 October 2019
• Disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic: remedies in case of non-observance of periods
• Oral proceedings held by videoconference
• Sequence listings

Answers to the most frequently asked questions on the following online services:

• Online Filing
• Online Filing 2.0
• Web-form filing
• My Files
• Credit card fee payment
• European Patent Register
• Third-party observations
• Mailbox
• PatXML
• Open Patent Services
• Administration
• Smart cards

Answers to questions on searching for patents and other topics related to patent information and documentation:

• I have an invention. How can I find out if something similar already exists and has been patented?
• How can I find out if a particular patent or patent application is still valid?
• How can I get a copy of a patent? Where can I find European patent documents (e.g. A1 documents)?
• Where can I find patent statistics?

Answers to further questions on searching for patents:

• Espacenet patent search
• European Patent Register
• Open Patent Services
• Patent management and valuation
• Patent statistics
• Asian patent information

Answers to questions on the European qualifying examination (EQE) and the IP Teaching Kit:

• EQE
• IP Teaching Kit

Answers to questions about the following aspects of the EPO and our activities:

• Boards of appeal
• Newsletter