EPC 1973 | EPC 2000 |
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R. 24 | R. 35 |
Chapter I – Filing of the European patent application
Rule 24
General provisions
A revised version of the European Patent Convention entered into force on 13 December 2007. The provisions of the revised Convention apply unless the transitional provisions provide for the applicability of the EPC 1973. |
(1) 31 European patent applications may be filed in writing with the authorities referred to in Article 75 either directly or by post. The President of the European Patent Office may permit European patent applications to be filed by other means of communication and lay down conditions governing their use. He may, in particular, require that within such period as the European Patent Office shall specify written confirmation be supplied reproducing the contents of applications so filed and complying with the requirements of these Implementing Regulations.
(2) The authority with which the European patent application is filed shall mark the documents making up the application with the date of their receipt. It shall issue without delay a receipt to the applicant which shall include at least the application number, the nature and number of the documents and the date of their receipt.
(3) If the European patent application is filed with an authority mentioned in Article 75, paragraph 1(b), it shall without delay inform the European Patent Office of receipt of the documents making up the application. It shall inform the European Patent Office of the nature and date of receipt of the documents, the application number and any priority date claimed.
(4) When the European Patent Office has received a European patent application which has been forwarded by a central industrial property office of a Contracting State, it shall inform the applicant accordingly, indicating the date of its receipt at the European Patent Office.
31Amended by decision of the Administrative Council of 05.06.1987 which entered into force on 01.10.1987 (OJ EPO 1987, 274). See decisions of the President of the EPO dated 29.10.2002 on the electronic filing of European patent applications and subsequent documents (OJ EPO 2002, 543 ff), dated 06.12.2004 on the use of facsimile for filing patent applications and other documents (OJ EPO 2005, 41 ff), and the notices from the EPO dated 29.10.2002 concerning the electronic filing of patent applications and other documents (OJ EPO 2002, 545 ff) and dated 06.12.2004 concerning the filing of patent applications and other documents (OJ EPO 2005, 44 ff).