Grant procedure before the European Patent Office
The grant procedure before the European Patent Office (EPO) is an ex parte, administrative procedure, which includes the filing of a European patent application, the examination of formalities, the establishment of a search report, the publication of the application, its substantive examination, and the grant of a patent, or the refusal of the application, in accordance with the legal provisions of the European Patent Convention (EPC). The grant procedure is carried out by the EPO under the supervision of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation. The patents granted in accordance with the EPC are called European patents.
EPO headquarters in Munich
The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), the other being the Administrative Council. The EPO acts as executive body for the organisation while the Administrative Council acts as its supervisory body as well as, to a limited extent, its legislative body. The actual legislative power to revise the European Patent Convention lies with the Contracting States themselves when meeting at a Conference of the Contracting States.
EPO headquarters in Munich, Germany
Aerial image of the headquarters in Munich (center), above it on the other side of the river Isar the science museum Deutsches Museum, to the left the German Patent and Trademark Office
EPO sub-office in Berlin
Signage at the Munich office of the European Patent Office, in its three official languages, German, English and French.
