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European Patent Convention

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17th edition / November 2020

The 17th edition of the European Patent Convention is available. It contains: 

  • the text of the Convention on the Grant of European Patents (EPC) as in force since 13 December 2007
  • the EPC Implementing Regulations as in force since 1 July 2020
  • the Rules relating to Fees as in force since 1 July 2020
  • the rules of procedure of the Boards of Appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal
  • the protocols which are integral parts of the EPC (Protocol on the Interpretation of Article 69 EPC, Protocol on Centralisation, Protocol on Recognition, Protocol on Privileges and Immunities, Protocol on Staff Complement)
  • an extract from the EPC Revision Act of 29 November 2000 and
  • the Administrative Council's decision of 28 June 2001 on the transitional provisions under Article 7 of the Revision Act.

It also contains an index of decisions and opinions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal published in the EPO's Official Journal (Annex I) and an EPC 1973-EPC 2000 crossreference index (Annex II).

For up-to-date information on procedural fees, please also consult the Official Journal and European (EPC) fees  sections on the EPO website.

 

Versions

The HTML version is regularly updated and shows all texts as currently in force, i.e. with any amendments (e.g. to the Implementing Regulations) included as from their entry into force. It is optimised for online use and contains links to EPC provisions and OJ items published from 2014 onwards.

To facilitate searching offline and printing, selected instruments are available as amended since the print edition (17th edition / November 2020) for download in PDF format: European Patent Convention (EPC), Implementing Regulations and Rules relating to Fees. 

The pdf version of the EPC was first published in December 2020 and so does not reflect any amendments adopted by the Administrative Council since its publication. All such amendments are listed at the start of the document. 

The pdf version is optimised for browsing the entire text (EPC, protocols, etc.) offline and for full-text searching. 

Available formats and amendments

HTML  version

Use "Version history" to find any earlier versions of a provision and any related transitional rules.

Use "Show modifications" to check what has changed in the HTML version since adoption of the version published in the 17th print edition (November 2020).

Go to HTML version

PDF file

This 17th edition of the EPC was first published in December 2020.

All amendments since the publication of the 17th edition are listed at the start of the document.

Download PDF  

Order a printed copy

Printed copies of the European Patent Convention (17th edition / November 2020) can be ordered in our online shop as of January 2021.

Go to the online shop

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