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European Patent Convention

Convention on the Grant of European Patents
(European Patent Convention)

of 5 October 1973

as revised by the Act revising Article 63 EPC of 17 December 1991

and the Act revising the EPC of 29 November 20001

 
Preamble

Part IGeneral and institutional provisionsArt. 1 – Art. 51

Art. 1European law for the grant of patents
Art. 2European patent
Art. 3Territorial effect
Art. 4European Patent Organisation
Art. 4aConference of ministers of the Contracting States
Art. 5Legal status
Art. 6Headquarters
Art. 7Sub-offices of the European Patent Office
Art. 8Privileges and immunities
Art. 9Liability
Art. 10Management
Art. 11Appointment of senior employees
Art. 12Duties of office
Art. 13Disputes between the Organisation and the employees of the European Patent Office
Art. 14Languages of the European Patent Office, European patent applications and other documents
Art. 15Departments entrusted with the procedure
Art. 16Receiving Section
Art. 17Search Divisions
Art. 18Examining Divisions
Art. 19Opposition Divisions
Art. 20Legal Division
Art. 21Boards of Appeal
Art. 22Enlarged Board of Appeal
Art. 23Independence of the members of the Boards
Art. 24Exclusion and objection
Art. 25Technical opinion
Art. 26Membership
Art. 27Chairmanship
Art. 28Board
Art. 29Meetings
Art. 30Attendance of observers
Art. 31Languages of the Administrative Council
Art. 32Staff, premises and equipment
Art. 33Competence of the Administrative Council in certain cases
Art. 34Voting rights
Art. 35Voting rules
Art. 36Weighting of votes
Art. 37Budgetary funding
Art. 38The Organisation's own resources
Art. 39Payments by the Contracting States in respect of renewal fees for European patents
Art. 40Level of fees and payments – Special financial contributions
Art. 41Advances
Art. 42Budget
Art. 43Authorisation for expenditure
Art. 44Appropriations for unforeseeable expenditure
Art. 45Accounting period
Art. 46Preparation and adoption of the budget
Art. 47Provisional budget
Art. 48Budget implementation
Art. 49Auditing of accounts
Art. 50Financial Regulations
Art. 51Fees

Part IISubstantive patent lawArt. 52 – Art. 74

Art. 52Patentable inventions
Art. 53Exceptions to patentability
Art. 54Novelty
Art. 55Non-prejudicial disclosures
Art. 56Inventive step
Art. 57Industrial application
Art. 58Entitlement to file a European patent application
Art. 59Multiple applicants
Art. 60Right to a European patent
Art. 61European patent applications filed by non-entitled persons
Art. 62Right of the inventor to be mentioned
Art. 63Term of the European patent
Art. 64Rights conferred by a European patent
Art. 65Translation of the European patent
Art. 66Equivalence of European filing with national filing
Art. 67Rights conferred by a European patent application after publication
Art. 68Effect of revocation or limitation of the European patent
Art. 69Extent of protection
Art. 70Authentic text of a European patent application or European patent
Art. 71Transfer and constitution of rights
Art. 72Assignment
Art. 73Contractual licensing
Art. 74Law applicable

Part IIIThe European patent applicationArt. 75 – Art. 89

Art. 75Filing of a European patent application
Art. 76European divisional applications
Art. 77Forwarding of European patent applications
Art. 78Requirements of a European patent application
Art. 79Designation of Contracting States
Art. 80Date of filing
Art. 81Designation of the inventor
Art. 82Unity of invention
Art. 83Disclosure of the invention
Art. 84Claims
Art. 85Abstract
Art. 86Renewal fees for the European patent application
Art. 87Priority right
Art. 88Claiming priority
Art. 89Effect of priority right

Part IVProcedure up to grantArt. 90 – Art. 98

Art. 90Examination on filing and examination as to formal requirements
Art. 92Drawing up of the European search report
Art. 93Publication of the European patent application
Art. 94Examination of the European patent application
Art. 97Grant or refusal
Art. 98Publication of the specification of the European patent

Part VOpposition and limitation procedureArt. 99 – Art. 105c

Art. 99Opposition
Art. 100Grounds for opposition
Art. 101Examination of the opposition – Revocation or maintenance of the European patent
Art. 103Publication of a new specification of the European patent
Art. 104Costs
Art. 105Intervention of the assumed infringer
Art. 105aRequest for limitation or revocation
Art. 105bLimitation or revocation of the European patent
Art. 105cPublication of the amended specification of the European patent

Part VIAppeals procedureArt. 106 – Art. 112a

Art. 106Decisions subject to appeal
Art. 107Persons entitled to appeal and to be parties to appeal proceedings
Art. 108Time limit and form
Art. 109Interlocutory revision
Art. 110Examination of appeals
Art. 111Decision in respect of appeals
Art. 112Decision or opinion of the Enlarged Board of Appeal
Art. 112aPetition for review by the Enlarged Board of Appeal

Part VIICommon provisionsArt. 113 – Art. 134a

Art. 113Right to be heard and basis of decisions
Art. 114Examination by the European Patent Office of its own motion
Art. 115Observations by third parties
Art. 116Oral proceedings
Art. 117Means and taking of evidence
Art. 118Unity of the European patent application or European patent
Art. 119Notification
Art. 120Time limits
Art. 121Further processing of the European patent application
Art. 122Re-establishment of rights
Art. 123Amendments
Art. 124Information on prior art
Art. 125Reference to general principles
Art. 127European Patent Register
Art. 128Inspection of files
Art. 129Periodical publications
Art. 130Exchange of information
Art. 131Administrative and legal co-operation
Art. 132Exchange of publications
Art. 133General principles of representation
Art. 134Representation before the European Patent Office
Art. 134aInstitute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office

Part VIIIImpact on national lawArt. 135 – Art. 141

Art. 135Request for conversion
Art. 137Formal requirements for conversion
Art. 138Revocation of European patents
Art. 139Prior rights and rights arising on the same date
Art. 140National utility models and utility certificates
Art. 141Renewal fees for European patents

Part IXSpecial agreementsArt. 142 – Art. 149a

Art. 142Unitary patents
Art. 143Special departments of the European Patent Office
Art. 144Representation before special departments
Art. 145Select committee of the Administrative Council
Art. 146Cover for expenditure for carrying out special tasks
Art. 147Payments in respect of renewal fees for unitary patents
Art. 148The European patent application as an object of property
Art. 149Joint designation
Art. 149aOther agreements between the Contracting States

Part XInternational applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty – Euro-PCT applicationsArt. 150 – Art. 158 

Art. 150Application of the Patent Cooperation Treaty
Art. 151The European Patent Office as a receiving Office
Art. 152The European Patent Office as an International Searching Authority or International Preliminary Examining Authority
Art. 153The European Patent Office as designated Office or elected Office
Part XITransitional Provisions (deleted)

Part XIIFinal provisionsArt. 164 – Art. 178

Art. 164Implementing Regulations and Protocols
Art. 165Signature – Ratification
Art. 166Accession
Art. 168Territorial field of application
Art. 169Entry into force
Art. 170Initial contribution
Art. 171Duration of the Convention
Art. 172Revision
Art. 173Disputes between Contracting States
Art. 174Denunciation
Art. 175Preservation of acquired rights
Art. 176Financial rights and obligations of former Contracting States
Art. 177Languages of the Convention
Art. 178Transmission and notifications

1The new text of the Convention adopted by the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation by decision of 28 June 2001 (see OJ EPO 2001, Special edition No. 4, p. 55) has become an integral part of the Revision Act of 29 November 2000 under Article 3(2), second sentence, of that Act.

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