Guidance

Working with the EPO to improve UK patent search timeliness

The EPO will be completing some searches of biotechnology patent applications for us. This guidance provides details of how that will work in practice.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Published: 1 February 2019
• Last updated: 16 July 2019 — See all updates

Documents

Working with the EPO to improve UK patent search timeliness

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Details

This guidance covers the following points:

• why the EPO is completing some searches of biotechnology patent applications on behalf of the IPO
• the number of UK patent applications we expect the EPO to search
• how this will work in practice for those applications
• how customers may be able to benefit from fee reductions at the EPO
• who to contact if you have any queries

Published 1 February 2019
Last updated 16 July 2019 + show all updates

1. 16 July 2019

   Guidance added on the agreement with the EPO on computing and telecommunications patent applications.

2. 1 February 2019

   First published.