EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE
Information from the EPO
Notice from the European Patent Office dated 1 July 2023 concerning the discontinuation of service letter EPO Form 1201 ("Entry into the European phase before the European Patent Office")
The EPO will stop sending out service letter EPO Form 1201 with effect from 1 November 2023. The corresponding information will instead be made available on epo.org. This is in response to a long-standing request from our users and is expected to save approximately 500 000 sheets of paper per year. Notifying users of this change in advance will ensure they get acquainted with the alternative sources of information in good time.
EPO Form 1201 is a service letter sent during the international phase to European professional representatives, international agents or applicants filing an international application. It specifies the allocated European application number and details the steps to take for entering the European phase. Many users have indicated that they do not wish to receive it because they are already familiar with the procedure.
Accessibility of procedural information
The EPO will ensure that information on entering the European phase will continue to be accessible to users. So, instead of sending out EPO Form 1201, the EPO will publish the information previously contained in the service letter in a new dedicated section on epo.org, where it can be consulted at any time.1
Information on European application number
A European application number is allocated to an international application with designation EP once it is published.2 As from that time, the Euro-PCT application, including its allocated European application number, is accessible to the public via the European Patent Register (see below). If applicants enter the European phase early under Article 23(2) or 40(2) PCT and before the international application is published, the European application number is allocated on submission.
When entering the European phase, preferably by using EPO Form 1200E in Online Filing or Online Filing 2.0, applicants are not required to indicate the European application number. By indicating the international application number, the submission is automatically routed to the corresponding Euro-PCT application. Applicants who file EPO Form 1200E via Online Filing or Online Filing 2.0 are immediately notified of the European application number on the acknowledgement of receipt issued electronically and returned to the sender following successful submission. Furthermore, both the international application number and the European application number will be added to the first communication sent by the EPO with regard to the Euro-PCT application.
European Patent Register
Once the international application is published, applicants can retrieve the European application number by entering the international application number or international publication number in the European Patent Register.3 Although the European application number is not required for filing EPO Form 1200, it may be required when applicants file on paper and thus need to pay the initial fees separately via Central Fee Payment.