European Patent Bulletin

The European Patent Bulletin is a weekly trilingual publication of the European Patent Office (EPO), generally issued every Wednesday. [ European Patent Office web site, [http://www.european-patent-office.org/e_pub/calendar/index.htm "Publication dates for 2006"] , retrieved on July 7, 2006 ] It contains "entries made in the Register of European Patents, as well as other particulars the publication of which is prescribed by [the European Patent Convention (EPC)] or its implementation". [ EPC Article|129 ] old fact

The European Patent Bulletin is published in German, English and French, the three official languages of the EPO. [ EPC Article|14|8|a ] The three texts coexist in the same issue of the bulletin. The European Patent Bulletin has been published online since January 2004.

Legal effect of mentions in the European Patent Bulletin

In the European patent grant procedure, the mention of the publication of the European search report in the European Patent Bulletin marks the start of the six-month period for filing the request for examination, paying the examination fee [ EPC Article|94|2 ] , paying the designation fees, [ EPC Article|79|2 ] and paying the extension fees. [ Ancillary Regulations to the European Patent Convention, Extension of European patents, see [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a79_1994_527.htm#OJ_1994_527] [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a79_1995_345.htm#OJ_1995_345] [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a79_1996_82.htm#OJ_1996_82] [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a79_1997_538.htm#OJ_1997_538] [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a79_2004_117.htm#OJ_2004_117] [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a79_2004_563.htm#OJ_2004_563] [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a79_2004_619.htm#OJ_2004_619] ]

At the end of the grant procedure, the decision to grant a European patent takes legal effect only from the day when the European Patent Bulletin mentions the grant. [ EPC Article|97|4 ] The publication of this mention in the European Patent Bulletin marks the start of the three-month period (or more in some countries, such as Ireland) for supplying the translation of the text in which the European patent has been granted to each national patent office, in order to have an effective protection in each country. EPC Article|65 ] The publication of this mention also marks the start of the nine-month period for giving notice of opposition to the patent to the EPO. [ EPC Article|99|1 ]

During the opposition procedure, when the European patent is maintained in an amended form, the publication of the mention of maintenance of the European patent in the European Patent Bulletin marks the start of the three-month period (or more in some countries, such as Ireland) for supplying the translation of the text in which the European patent has been maintained to each national patent office, in order to have an effective protection in each country.

References

ee also

*"PCT Gazette"
* List of intellectual property law journals

External links

* [http://www.epo.org/patents/patent-information/european-patent-documents/european-patent-bulletin.html European Patent Bulletin] on the EPO web site
** [http://www.epo.org/patents/patent-information/european-patent-documents/european-patent-bulletin/download.html Recent issues]
** [http://www.epo.org/patents/patent-information/european-patent-documents/european-patent-bulletin/archive.html Archives since January 3, 2007]
** [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://bulletin.european-patent-office.org/archive/ Archives since January 2, 2004] - select a date - on the EPO web site (through the Internet Archive)
* Relevant notices in the Official Journal
** Changes in the European Patent Bulletin, OJ 1983, 459 [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a129_1983_459.htm#OJ_1983_459]
** Amendments and additions to the European Patent Bulletin, OJ 1986, 63 [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a129_1986_63.htm#AP_I_A129_1986_63]
** Amendments and additions to the European Patent Bulletin, OJ 1988, 37 [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/anc_reg/en/ap_i_a129_1988_37.htm#OJ_1988_37]