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Chapter III – The European Patent Office

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  1. Home
  2. The European Patent Convention – Contents
  3. European Patent Convention
  4. Part I
  5. Chapter III
  6. Article 18
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Article 18 – Examining Divisions

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 1816
Examining Divisions

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

(1) The Examining Divisions shall be responsible for the examination of European patent applications. 

(2)17 An Examining Division shall consist of three technically qualified examiners. However, before a decision is taken on a European patent application, its examination shall, as a general rule, be entrusted to one member of the Examining Division. Oral proceedings shall be before the Examining Division itself. If the Examining Division considers that the nature of the decision so requires, it shall be enlarged by the addition of a legally qualified examiner. In the event of parity of votes, the vote of the Chairman of the Examining Division shall be decisive. 


16Amended by the Act revising the European Patent Convention of 29.11.2000.

17See opinion of the Enlarged Board of Appeal G 1/02 (Annex I).

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EPC - Reference
  • Art. 15, 33, 94, 97
    R. 10, 11, 70, 159
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