Epoline
Encyclopedia
epoline is a set of web
-based software programs and services enabling applicants, patent
ees and their representatives to file patent application
s online
before the European Patent Office
(EPO), as well as to monitor the status of patent applications during their prosecution
and patents during an opposition
. The epoline products and services have been implemented and are maintained by the EPO, according to the Decision of the President of the EPO dated 29 October 2002.
Until March 4, 2009, the epoline online filing software could not be used for filing oppositions or appeal
. This had been confirmed by a Board of Appeal decision in T 514/05 of September 8, 2005, according to which "[a]n appeal filed via epoline [could not] have any legal effect absent explicit permission of the President of the EPO." The explicit permission of the President of the EPO has since been provided. Since March 5, 2009 indeed, documents in all proceedings under the EPC, including opposition, appeal, revocation
, limitation
and review proceedings, may be filed with the EPO in electronic form, i.e. with the epoline software or, subject to prior approval by the EPO, with other software. Priority
documents however cannot be filed electronically, "unless they have been digitally signed by the issuing authority and the signature is accepted by the European Patent Office."
WebRegMT is a monitoring tool for monitoring data from the online European Patent Register. The tool sends e-mail
alerts when a change occurs in the status of a selected patent application or patent.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
-based software programs and services enabling applicants, patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ees and their representatives to file patent application
Patent application
A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for the invention described and claimed by that application. An application consists of a description of the invention , together with official forms and correspondence relating to the application...
s online
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
before the European Patent Office
European Patent Organisation
The European Patent Organisation is a public international organisation created in 1977 by its contracting states to grant patents in Europe under the European Patent Convention of 1973...
(EPO), as well as to monitor the status of patent applications during their prosecution
Patent prosecution
Patent prosecution describes the interaction between applicants and their representatives, and a patent office with regard to a patent, or an application for a patent...
and patents during an opposition
Opposition procedure before the European Patent Office
The opposition procedure before the European Patent Office is a post-grant, contentious, inter partes, administrative procedure intended to allow any European patent to be centrally opposed...
. The epoline products and services have been implemented and are maintained by the EPO, according to the Decision of the President of the EPO dated 29 October 2002.
Products and services
Besides being available for filing European patent applications with the EPO, the epoline online filing software (also called "Online Filing", "OLF", "eOLF" or "epoline Online Filing") can also be used since December 3, 2003 for filing any official document during patent prosecution. The use of on-line filing passed the 50% level of patent application filings in January 2008. The epoline online filing software also allows to file patent applications online with the national patent offices that support it.Until March 4, 2009, the epoline online filing software could not be used for filing oppositions or appeal
Appeal procedure before the European Patent Office
Decisions of the first instances of the European Patent Office can be appealed, i.e. challenged, before the Boards of Appeal of the EPO, in a judicial procedure , as opposed to an administrative procedure. These boards act as the final instances in the granting and opposition procedures before the...
. This had been confirmed by a Board of Appeal decision in T 514/05 of September 8, 2005, according to which "[a]n appeal filed via epoline [could not] have any legal effect absent explicit permission of the President of the EPO." The explicit permission of the President of the EPO has since been provided. Since March 5, 2009 indeed, documents in all proceedings under the EPC, including opposition, appeal, revocation
Limitation and revocation procedures before the European Patent Office
In European patent law, the limitation and revocation procedures before the European Patent Office are post-grant, ex parte, administrative procedures allowing any European patent to be centrally limited by an amendment of the claims or revoked, respectively. These two procedures were introduced...
, limitation
Limitation and revocation procedures before the European Patent Office
In European patent law, the limitation and revocation procedures before the European Patent Office are post-grant, ex parte, administrative procedures allowing any European patent to be centrally limited by an amendment of the claims or revoked, respectively. These two procedures were introduced...
and review proceedings, may be filed with the EPO in electronic form, i.e. with the epoline software or, subject to prior approval by the EPO, with other software. Priority
Priority right
In patent, industrial design rights and trademark laws, a priority right or right of priority is a time-limited right, triggered by the first filing of an application for a patent, an industrial design or a trademark respectively...
documents however cannot be filed electronically, "unless they have been digitally signed by the issuing authority and the signature is accepted by the European Patent Office."
WebRegMT is a monitoring tool for monitoring data from the online European Patent Register. The tool sends e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
alerts when a change occurs in the status of a selected patent application or patent.
External links
- Official website
- Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 26 February 2009 concerning the electronic filing of documents as published on the EPO web site.
- Axel H. Horns, On Data Formats for the »epoline« System, epi Information 2/2003 p. 58 (and full text: in the ipjur.com web site)
- Paul Brewin, Regarding “On Data Formats for the ‘epoline’ System”, Information from the European Patent Office, July 14, 2003