European Patent Register
The European Patent Register, also known as the Register of European Patents,[1] is a public register kept by the European Patent Office (EPO). It contains legal information relating to published European patent applications and European patents granted under the European Patent Convention (EPC). The register notably provides the current legal status of European patent applications and patents, such as for instance "whether a patent application has been published, whether a patent has been granted, what the outcome of opposition proceedings was or whether a patent has been revoked".[2]
The register does not, however, contain information regarding what happens to a European patent at the national level (especially after grant, when the European patent becomes effectively a bundle of national patents in the member states of the European Patent Organisation). Since October 2011 however, its records include deep links to the corresponding records of the European patents' "national parts" in about twenty national registers (as of December 2012).[3] The Global Dossier is also available via the European Patent Register.[4]
The European Patent Office is the only body that can perform legally effective publication and registration of European patent applications and patents. It regularly issues warnings about scams by firms and individuals that invite applicants to register patents in unofficial registers or publications.[5] Such registration services are a well known scam in intellectual property.
See also[edit]
- Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR), a similar service provided by the USPTO for U.S. patent applications and patents
References[edit]
- ^ Article 127 EPC 1973
- ^ "Status identifiers: what are they and what purpose do they serve?" (PDF). Patent Information News. 2016 (2). European Patent Office: 8. June 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
- ^ Welcome to the club, Germany! Archived 2012-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, Patent Information News issue 4/2012, December 2012, p. 2.
- ^ "Global dossier available in Espacenet". EPO. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ EPO web site, Warning: Beware of approaches and requests for payment from firms purporting to register European patents Archived July 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, 29 June 2006
External links[edit]
- European Patent Register at the European Patent Office
- Legal basis
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