My Files is an online service providing professional representatives with secure access to an automatically loaded list of the published and unpublished active European patent files they are representing.
Specifically, it provides:
Professional representatives with a smart card who have registered for the EPO Mailbox service can access My Files.
Unfortunately, due to current technical constraints you can only receive mail electronically or have access to My Files if you are a professional representative. Other users (e.g. lawyers entitled to represent before the EPO) have no access to these services at present.
If you are not a professional representative, you can use Online File Inspection (the European Patent Register) to access published files.
Clicking any of the file details displayed in the filter overview will take you to the secure file inspection. This provides you with an overview of the file contents. Clicking any document in the file will open the corresponding PDF file in a separate browser window.
Applications submitted using Online Filing are immediately stored in the EPO's systems. However, the data relating to these applications is not uploaded until night-time (a batch process). These applications will therefore only show up in your list of files the next day, or in exceptional cases the day after.
PCT applications, including those filed with the EPO as receiving Office, are administered in a different system and are not visible in My Files. They will be visible upon entry into the European phase (after EP 1200 is filed).
Submitted documents are only displayed after verification and validation by the EPO. This is to avoid making documents available that have been inadvertently submitted under an incorrect application number.
Medical certificates, together with requests for certified copies, requests for file inspection, payment sheets and communications to the search division regarding acceleration/completion of search, are never made available, even for applications for which you are responsible.
You can customise the view in My Files by clicking the Preferences button in the top right-hand corner of the file screen. This will allow you to sort your files by specific, predefined definitions and headings.
No, you cannot remove files from your filters. The list of files displayed in these filters is generated by the EPO systems and represents an overview of all active EP files you (or the association of representatives of which you are a member) are currently representing.
There are several possible reasons for this:
For an associate to appear in the list of available representatives in My Files, they must have already been assigned at least one file. If there are no files assigned to the representative, they will not be listed. Consequently, you cannot assign files to a new representative at your firm in My Files. To be able to do so, please first send a request for change of representative for a specific file. Once that file has been assigned to the associate, the associate will appear as an option for transfer of representation.
