News & Resources

15.05.14

May Bulletin: EPO and International Designs

 

EPO

  • The EPO has issued guidelines on refunds and reductions in the search and exam fees following the 1 April 2014 fee increases. The guidelines can be found here:
    http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2014/03/a29/2014-a29.pdf
    http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2014/03/a30/2014-a30.pdf
    http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2014/03/a31/2014-a31.pdf

 

  • Forms 1001 and 1200 have been updated following the 1 April changes. The main change for practical purposes is that the applicant can now indicate which generation a divisional application belongs to on form 1001. This determines the level of the new fee for second and subsequent generation divisional applications.

 

  • The EPO has produced a summary of the requirements for filing a PCT application at the EPO as receiving office, which is a useful reference:
    http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2014/03/a33/2014-a33.pdf

 

  • Documents required for PCT applications after filing of the application itself can now be filed using the EPO online filing software, except for the demand for international examination. Work is in progress on an update allowing the demand to be filed as well.

 

  • An FAQ on the changes to deposit account arrangements from 1 April can be found here:
    http://www.epo.org/applying/forms-fees/payment/faq.htmlMost importantly, the deposit account arrangement no longer provides additional protection for missed fee payments beyond the normal provisions of the EPC. It is now even more important to ensure that EPO deposit accounts are always kept topped up with sufficient funds.

 

 

 International designs

  • South Korea has joined the Hague Agreement.

 

 

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