SACEPO meeting on the digitalisation of the patent granting process

The 10th meeting of the Standing Advisory Committee before the EPO (SACEPO) working party on electronic procedures, also known as eSACEPO, took place on 25 March 2025, with a focus on the progress towards further digitalising the European patent granting process (PGP), including interactions with users. The EPO’s approach to transitioning to a paperless PGP by the end of 2027 was presented and well received, with users appreciating the flexibility for exceptional cases.

Update on the EPO’s online services

SACEPO members expressed positive views on the progress of the EPO’s online services, such as  

• PCT link enabling international agents and non-European applicants to receive PCT communications in their MyEPO Mailboxes
• the technical interfaces (application programming interfaces) to automate the exchange of data between IP management systems and MyEPO services such as the Mailbox and Online Filing 2.0 
• the Shared Area where applicants and examiners can have an efficient, live video conversation while sharing documents in real time, to resolve issues in the patent application

Discussions also covered the planned decommissioning of legacy systems, including the online filing software eOLF, by the end of 2025.

Legal adjustments to support digital transformation

SACEPO members gave input on the necessary legal adjustments required for the EPO’s digital transformation. This consultation started at the recent meeting of the SACEPO working party on Rules and will continue in the coming months, as users’ input is key for driving the change process for a successful digital implementation.   

Leveraging AI taking a human-centric approach

The Legal Interactive Platform (LIP) has attracted much attention recently on the user side, and the EPO explained how this AI-based tool can help users get the most out of the EPO's legal sources. Concerning the EPO’s AI Policy, the Office introduced its human-centric, risk-based approach to AI within the PGP to leverage the technology's benefits for its users. As users enquired about what kind of decisions will be made by AI, the Office clarified that AI will play a supporting role for examiners, who will remain responsible for all final legal decisions.

Enhancing the patent system through user feedback

Regular feedback and involvement of user representatives are critical for the European patent system to function smoothly. To meet users’ evolving needs, the EPO is acting upon suggestions and comments gathered from users via several user feedback channels including the SACEPO bodies. The close co-operation with the user community enables the Office to fully understand the challenges faced by applicants and users.​