epoline is a set of

web Web most often refers to: * Spider web, a silken structure created by the animal * World Wide Web or the Web, an Internet-based hypertext system Web, WEB, or the Web may also refer to: Computing * WEB, a literate programming system created by ...

-based

computer program A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components. A computer program ...

s and

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...

enabling applicants,

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

ees and their representatives to file

patent application A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for an invention described in the patent specification and a set of one or more claims stated in a formal document, including necessary official forms and re ...

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...

before the

European Patent Office 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

(EPO), as well as to monitor the status of patent applications during their

prosecution A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

and patents during an

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...

. The epoline products and services have been implemented and are maintained by the EPO, according to the Decision of the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the EPO dated 29 October 2002.

Products and services

Besides being available for filing European patent applications with the EPO, the epoline online filing software (also called "Online Filing", "OLF", "eOLF" or "epoline Online Filing") can also be used since December 3, 2003 for filing any official document during patent prosecution. The use of on-line filing passed the 50% level of patent application filings in January 2008.R. Burt
''Report of the On-line Communications Committee (OCC)''
''

epi Information The Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office, also known as European Patent Institute (epi), is a professional association of European patent attorneys and an international non-governmental public law corporation. ...

'' 2/2008, p. 59. The ''epoline'' online filing software also allows to file patent applications online with the national patent offices that support it. Until March 4, 2009, the epoline online filing software could not be used for filing oppositions or

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

. This had been confirmed by a Board of Appeal decision in T 514/05 of September 8, 2005, according to which " appeal filed via epoline

ould not Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable pe ...

have any legal effect absent explicit permission of the President of the EPO." The explicit permission of the President of the EPO has since been provided. Since March 5, 2009 indeed, documents in all proceedings under the EPC, including opposition, appeal,

revocation Revocation is the act of recall or annulment. It is the cancelling of an act, the recalling of a grant or privilege, or the making void of some deed previously existing. A temporary revocation of a grant or privilege is called a suspension. Cont ...

, limitation and review proceedings, may be filed with the EPO in electronic form, i.e. with the epoline software or, subject to prior approval by the EPO, with other software. Priority documents however cannot be filed electronically, "unless they have been digitally signed by the issuing authority and the signature is accepted by the European Patent Office." WebRegMT is a monitoring tool for monitoring data from the online

European Patent Register The European Patent Register, also known as the Register of European Patents, is a public register kept by the European Patent Office (EPO). It contains legal information relating to published European patent applications and European patents grante ...

. The tool sends

e-mail Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...

alerts when a change occurs in the status of a selected patent application or patent.European Patent Office web site, ''Guide to the "My.epoline" services'
WebRegMT
retrieved on August 10, 2006

References

External links

Official website
as published on the EPO web site. * Axel H. Horns, '' ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060827193159/http://www.ipjur.com/data/030504epoline03a1.pdf On Data Formats for the »epoline« System', epi Information 2/2003 p. 58 (an
full text
in the ipjur.com web site) * Paul Brewin

Information from the European Patent Office, July 14, 2003 {{European Patent Organisation European Patent Organisation Patent search services

Products and services

See also

References

External links