Skip to main content
Home
  • Start page
  • Statistics centre
  • Legal texts

    Legal texts

    Legal texts from the European Patent Office (EPO) in a format optimised for different screen sizes.

    Go to overview

    • Overview
    • European Patent Convention overview

    Legal Text Megamenu Image

    Hand touching a tablet

    EPC now at your fingertips, on all devices

en de fr
  • Language selection
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
 

burger

Chapter III – The European Patent Office

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. The European Patent Convention – Contents
  3. European Patent Convention
  4. Part I
  5. Chapter III
  6. Article 14
Print
Share

Article 14 – Languages of the European Patent Office, European patent applications and other documents

Article 10 – Management
Article 11 – Appointment of senior employees
Article 12 – Duties of office
Article 13 – Disputes between the Organisation and the employees of the European Patent Office
Article 14 – Languages of the European Patent Office, European patent applications and other documents
Article 15 – Departments entrusted with the procedure
Article 16 – Receiving Section
Article 17 – Search Divisions
Article 18 – Examining Divisions
Article 19 – Opposition Divisions
Article 20 – Legal Division
Article 21 – Boards of Appeal
Article 22 – Enlarged Board of Appeal
Article 23 – Independence of the members of the Boards
Article 24 – Exclusion and objection
Article 25 – Technical opinion

Article 1411, 12
Languages of the European Patent Office, European patent applications and other documents

Part I – General and institutional provisions
Chapter III – The European Patent Office

(1) The official languages of the European Patent Office shall be English, French and German. 

(2) A European patent application shall be filed in one of the official languages or, if filed in any other language, translated into one of the official languages in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. Throughout the proceedings before the European Patent Office, such translation may be brought into conformity with the application as filed. If a required translation is not filed in due time, the application shall be deemed to be withdrawn. 

(3) The official language of the European Patent Office in which the European patent application is filed or into which it is translated shall be used as the language of the proceedings in all proceedings before the European Patent Office, unless the Implementing Regulations provide otherwise. 

(4) Natural or legal persons having their residence or principal place of business within a Contracting State having a language other than English, French or German as an official language, and nationals of that State who are resident abroad, may file documents which have to be filed within a time limit in an official language of that State. They shall, however, file a translation in an official language of the European Patent Office in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. If any document, other than those documents making up the European patent application, is not filed in the prescribed language, or if any required translation is not filed in due time, the document shall be deemed not to have been filed. 

(5) European patent applications shall be published in the language of the proceedings. 

(6) Specifications of European patents shall be published in the language of the proceedings and shall include a translation of the claims in the other two official languages of the European Patent Office. 

(7) The following shall be published in the three official languages of the European Patent Office: 

(a) the European Patent Bulletin; 

(b) the Official Journal of the European Patent Office. 

(8) Entries in the European Patent Register shall be made in the three official languages of the European Patent Office. In cases of doubt, the entry in the language of the proceedings shall be authentic. 


11Amended by the Act revising the European Patent Convention of 29.11.2000.

12See decisions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal G 6/91, G 2/95, G 4/08 (Annex I).

Next
Previous
EPC - Reference
  • Art. 70, 80, 90, 92, 93, 97, 98, 103, 127, 129
    R. 3-7, 36, 40, 49, 61, 68, 112
Footer
  • Terms of use
  • Legal notice
  • Data protection and privacy