Pages 32-33

INFORMATION FROM THE EPO

Notice dated 10 December 1996 concerning revised Form 1200

Revised EPA/EPO/OEB Form 1200 (plus notes)1 for entry into the regional phase before the EPO as designated or elected Office is reproduced below.

The main changes are as follows:

Section 8 now takes account of Rule 28 EPC as amended with effect from 1 October 19962. New EPC contracting state Finland3 has been added to Section 10, and new extension states Albania4 and Romania5 to Section 11. In Section 7, the box for translation of the priority document(s) has been restored, because although under the revised version of Rule 38(4) EPC6 the translation is not requested by the EPO until later, the applicant is at liberty to file the translation earlier if he so wishes. Lastly, editorial amendments to Section 6 make it even clearer that on entry into the regional phase before the EPO as elected Office any annexes to the international preliminary examination report must always be filed in triplicate.

Applicants are recommended to use the revised form, but if they wish may use up stocks of the old version7 first.