The European patent organization (EPO) is an intergovernmental organization with seat, created by the European patent convention, in Munich, which belongs meanwhile 31 to member states.

Those and/or the European patent office is falsely often regarded as an authority of the European Union.

European patent office

Most important organ of the EPO is the European patent office (EPA), whose task is the examination and distribution of European patents.

The EPA has its seat likewise in Munich, a branch into the Hague, agencies in Berlin and Vienna and a connecting office in Brussels.

President of the European patent office

The European patent office is led by a president:

• Johannes Bob van Benthem (the Netherlands) 1 November 1977 - 30 April 1985
• Paul (Switzerland) 1. May 1985 - 31 December 1995
• Ingo Kober (Germany) 1 January 1996 - 30 June 2004
• Alain Pompidou (France) since 1 July 2004, as its successors is starting from 1 July 2007 Alison Brimelow (Great Britain) intended

Financing

The European patent office finances itself from the taken procedure fees and from annual fees, which is partly exhausted from the EPA member states to the EPA. Critics see therein a reason to the readiness to give trivial patents for more conversion. 2004 amounted to the household over 1,1 billion euro.

Personal

More than 6,000 officials of the European patent office out over 30 countries are mainly citizens of the Contracting States. They must control the three official office languages German, English and French; nearly two thirds point a university University of to (e.g. scientist, engineers, lawyers). End of 2005 approx. 3,500 officials, into the Hague approx. 2,400, worked in Berlin approx. 300 and in Vienna more than 100 officials in Munich.

Departments of the European patent office

The European patent office covers the among other things following departments:

• a Eingangsstelle for the initially and syntax check of submitted patent applications
• Search departments, which provide the search reports to the registrations
• Test departments for the special examination of the registrations and the decision over distribution or rejection
• Objection departments, which work on objections against given patents
• a legal department
• technical and legal complaint chambers, which work on complaints against decisions of the patent office
• a large complaint chamber, which decides on legal questions

The complaint chambers of the European patent office are on an equal footing courts and enjoy a certain independence. Like that members of the complaint chambers are e.g. not bound at instructions of the president of the European patent office.

The large complaint chamber is not a further instance after a complaint chamber, but it is responsible for:

• Decisions over legal questions, which are submitted it by the complaint chambers, and
• the delivery from statements to legal questions, which are submitted it by the president of the European patent office.

European patents

In a centralized procedure European patents with effect for the designated are given contract and possible extending states. Against it objection can be raised within nine months after publication of the reference to the Patenterteilung from everyone with the European patent office, which can lead to the restriction or to the revocation of the patent.

The European patents correspond bundle national patents and are such on an equal footing. The decision over injuries or nullity of European patents falls therefore under the national jurisdiction.

Board of directors of the European patent organization

The EPA supervised by a board of directors (article 4 (3) that the second organ of the EPO represents and of the representatives by the Contracting States the sent and their deputies consists (article 26 (1) Nevertheless only insufficient possibilities are given the monitoring of this institution from view of some critics.

Patent applications with the European patent office 2004

Summary of this source:

See also

• Convention over the distribution of European patents (with Contracting States)
• Patent
• European patent
• Software patent
• Europe

Related links

• European patent office
• SUEPO (trade union of the EPA coworkers)
• The EPA from view of [[Greenpeace]]

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