Filing of a European patent application
Requirements of a European patent application
A European patent application shall contain:
(a) a request for the grant of a European patent;
(b) a description of the invention;
(c) one or more claims;
(d) any drawings referred to in the description or the claims;
(e) an abstract,
and satisfy the requirements laid down in the Implementing Regulations.
A European patent application shall be subject to the payment of the filing fee and the search fee. If the filing fee or the search fee is not paid in due time, the application shall be deemed to be withdrawn.
All the Contracting States party to Convention at the time of filing of the European patent application shall be deemed to be designated in the request for grant of a European patent. The designation of a Contracting State is subject to the payment of a designation fee. The designation of a Contracting State may be withdrawn at any time up to the grant of the European patent.
The date of filing of a European patent application shall be the date on which the requirements laid down in the Implementing Regulations are fulfilled.
The European patent application shall designate the inventor. If the applicant is not the inventor or is not the sole inventor, the designation shall contain a statement indicating the origin of the right to the European patent.
The European patent application shall relate to one invention only or to a group of inventions so linked as to form a single general inventive concept.
The European patent application shall disclose the invention in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for it to be carried out by a person skilled in the art.
The claims shall define the matter for which protection is sought. They shall be clear and concise and be supported by the description.
The abstract shall serve the purpose of technical information only; it may not be taken into account for any other purpose, in particular for interpreting the scope of the protection.
