INFORMATION FROM THE EPO
Notice from the European Patent Office dated 1 February 2006 concerning new functionalities in the Online Fee Payment service
The Online Fee Payment service, which was introduced in 2003, allows holders of deposit accounts with the EPO to manage their accounts online. This includes paying fees and viewing transactions and payment orders. The service can be accessed via the secure, user-specific My.epoline® portal.
Since December 2005 users of Online Fee Payment have been able to use the service's new payment plan function to check the amount of fees due within the next 10, 14, 30 or 40 days. This function allows users who have issued the EPO with automatic debit orders to ensure that their accounts contain sufficient funds. The payment plan is linked to the automatic debiting procedure.
Online Fee Payment now also offers more flexibility. Portal administration allows users to decide who has access to the payment plan, who can pay fees and who can view accounts. For users entitled to a fee reduction, the system automatically calculates the reduction.
Other enhancements include harmonisation of the electronic and paper statements issued by the EPO, improved layout, and the availability of the schedule of fees in the publicly accessible part of the epoline® website.
To use Online Fee Payment you need
(a) a deposit account with the EPO and
(b) a smart card and smart card reader.
You can obtain both online and free of charge via the epoline® website at www.epoline.org.
More information on Online Fee Payment, including a brochure, can be found in the products and services section at www.epoline.org.
For further questions, please contact
EPO Procedural and Technical Support
European Patent Office
Patentlaan 2
NL-2288 EE Rijswijk
Tel.: +31 70 240 4500
Fax: +31 70 240 4600
e-mail: support@epo.org
Monday to Friday, 08.00 to 18.00 hrs