Detailed description of "References to the EPC"
The "References to the EPC" consists of a single volume A4 book of over 1500 pages.
Main part of the book
The main part, of over 1000 pages in A4 format, includes the full text of the EPC (Articles, Implementing Regulations, and Protocols), the Rules Relating to Fees, Arrangements for Deposit Accounts and the Automatic Debiting Procedure, and an annotated version of the Euro-PCT Guide, with all updates known at 1 April 2015. The Articles are listed in sequence, with the Implementing Regulations (Rules) inserted at the appropriate places. The text of most chapters of the November 2016 version of the Guidelines are integrated in the book. Also a large set of Ancillary Regulations are integrated.
The main part of the book gives, for each article and rule, references to related material. In particular references are given to:
Many short tables are included summarizing procedural acts and fee payments, for example:
Main part of the book
The main part, of over 1000 pages in A4 format, includes the full text of the EPC (Articles, Implementing Regulations, and Protocols), the Rules Relating to Fees, Arrangements for Deposit Accounts and the Automatic Debiting Procedure, and an annotated version of the Euro-PCT Guide, with all updates known at 1 April 2015. The Articles are listed in sequence, with the Implementing Regulations (Rules) inserted at the appropriate places. The text of most chapters of the November 2016 version of the Guidelines are integrated in the book. Also a large set of Ancillary Regulations are integrated.
The main part of the book gives, for each article and rule, references to related material. In particular references are given to:
- Articles and rules. Where appropriate, references are given to the individual paragraphs of the articles and rules. The titles of the articles and rules are those used in the EPC. Titles of individual paragraphs have been added to assist in quickly identifying a particular paragraph. These titles are also used when referring to the articles/rules or paragraphs.
- Sections of the November 2016 edition of the "Guidelines for Examination in the European Patent Office". Such a reference to a section of the Guidelines provides the title and page number of the paragraph of the Guidelines which immediately precedes the referenced section, as given in the table of contents of the Guidelines.
- Decisions published in the "Ancillary Regulations to the European Patent Convention", in particular those cited in OJ 2010, SE1 indicating the title and year, page of the publication of the regulation in te OJEPO as well as selected decisions published since OJ 2010, SE1 up to OJEPO 10, 2014.
- Tables, and columns in those tables, of the "National Law relating to the EPC", 16th edition September 2013
- Selected decisions of the Boards of the EPO. A reference is normally given to an individual headnote of a decision, further clarified by a summary
- References to the transitional provisions from EPC 1973 to EPC 2000.
Many short tables are included summarizing procedural acts and fee payments, for example:
Many flow-charts are included, illustrating the procedure, for example:
Also several legal overviews are included to enable fast identification of the most appropriate legal provision, for example:
Finally, many tables are included showing which acts to perform, for example:
Annexes
The second part of the book includes eight annexes.
The second part of the book includes eight annexes.
- Annex A gives the headnotes of all published decisions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal and decisions of the Boards of Appeal referred to in the Guidelines, published in the OJEPO since 1998 and further selected landmark decisions (150 pages).
- Annex B includes selected recently published Ancillary Regulations (for as far as not covered in te main book) and an extensive overview of more than 300 ancillary regulations indicating whether they are obsolete or still in force and whether they are covered in the main part of the book (and where).
- Annex C covers the Protocols of the EPC, Paris Convention, the Vienna Convention on Treaties, the TRIPS agreement, the EU Directive 2004/48/EC on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, the EU Directive 98/44/EC on Legal protection of Biotechnological inventions, EPO information on the Unitary Patent, EU No. 1257/2012 on Enhanced cooperation in the area of Unitary Patent Protection, EU No. 1260/2012 Unitary Patent Protection - The applicable Translation Agreement, Agreement on a Unified Patent Court, and Statute of the Unified Patent Court (a total of 116 pages) .
- Annex D contains the transitional provisions from EPC 1973 to EPC 2000, clarified by adding titles to the cited provisions (17 pages).
- Annex E contains a calendar tool (3 pages).
- Annex F contains six detailed concordance tables showing the mapping of articles and rules from EPC1973 to EPC2000 and vice versa (21 pages)
- Annex G gives an overview of which sections of the EPO's Guidelines for Examination, November 2016 edition, are covered in the main part of the book and, if so, where (35 pages).
- Annex H contains a comprehensive index to the articles and rules (30 pages, 2 columns).