Until now applicants have had to use bespoke software available from the European Patent Office for online filing.
The browser filing option was unveiled at the EPO’s online services conference last week. Other initiatives announced included a version of filing software with an integrated patent management system, designed for high-volume applicants; a self-service model for applicants to update their own bibliographic data; the online filing of documents for oppositions and appeals; and a dedicated telephone helpline for queries about electronic processes.
The conference, which was held in Como, Italy, discussed “End-to-end electronic processing – how to survive when the EPO no longer accepts paper”.
Asked by Managing IP when that would be, EPO President Alison Brimelow said: “We would rather get it right than give you a silly date.” She said that paper services would only be cut off when electronic services were stable and well tested, and applicants would be given plenty of warning.
Other speakers indicated that paper applications could cease to be accepted within three to five years. At present, about 50% of EPO applications are filed online.
Patrick Bodart, principal director of patent administration at the EPO, said online filing was one of six cornerstones of the so-called e2e project, and acknowledged: “We still need to get on board the SMEs and private applicants.” The browser filing option is likely to be of particular interest to these users.
He added that as more services move online, there would be opportunities to increase efficiency and quality: “We will avoid automating paper procedures and maybe do things differently.”
As well as the initiatives planned for next year, the EPO plans to roll out an eDossier with all the information on procedures sometime between 2009 and 2011, as well as further tools for formalities officers and examiners after 2011.
EPO principal director of patent grant automation, John Bambridge, said that many steps are still needed to reach the Office’s targets, but that it is determined to be prepared: “If we don’t do this, who knows whether there will be an EPO?”
Brimelow said the e2e project will “take the hassle out of the business of applying for patents” by “giving different responsibilities to applicants”.
She added that the e-road has not always been “pothole-free” but that the EPO would learn and apply lessons from previous experiences: “I will be accountable for making this project deliver.”
Brimelow also welcomed a decision agreed at the recent trilateral meeting in Washington DC to introduce a common application format among the biggest patent offices, describing it as “a very real success” and “more cheerful than I expected”.
The agreement is an early step on the path towards reducing duplication for international patent applicants. Brimelow described it as “a very good development and a profoundly useful building block”.
At the same meeting, Alfonso Gianni, undersecretary of the Ministry of Economic Development in Italy, said that Italy should ratify EPC 2000 by the end of November, following approval by the Lower Chamber. All EPC member states have to adopt EPC 2000 by December 13.
He also said that Italian IP reforms will be implemented next year.
Speaking in Italian, Gianni also said that “a radical choice has to be made” over the use of languages for patents in Europe, adding that either all languages should be supported, or only one (English): “It is unfair to use some languages to the detriment of others.”
About 500 practitioners and support staff attended the conference on November 13 and 14. As well as keynote speeches from EPO and national office officials and entrepreneurs, there were workshops on the use of online patent services and the impact of EPC 2000.
