Form EP1001 – Request for grant of a European patent
Structure of XML files for EP1001
The following three XML files are required for an EP1001 application to be imported:
| File name | DTD | Description |
|---|---|---|
package-data.xml | package-data.dtd | References attached documents, except those already referenced in application-body.xml file. |
application-body.xml | ep-application-body-v1-7.dtd | (a)References attached documents as part of patent specification (technical documents or translations of technical documents into EPO language). (b)Contains complete text (or its translation into EPO language) of patent specification with referenced files for drawings. |
ep-request.xml | ep-request-v1-16.dtd | Application data as entered in Form EP1001, references other attached documents. |
References from XML files to other files
All PDF files and other attachments must be referenced by the package-data.xml file, or by one of the XML files that are referenced in the package-data.xml file, i.e. the application-body.xml or eprequest.xml file.
package-data.xml file
The package-data.xml file must contain a root element <package-data> with the following attributes:
lang: Country code corresponding to the language of filing (i.e.,"en","fr"or"de").dtd-version: Fixed value of"1.0".produced-by: Fixed value of"applicant"
The top-level XML elements inside <package-data> are the following (all of them are mandatory, with the exception of <application-body> in certain cases -- please see below):
<transmittal-info>: This element contains a fixed structure common to all forms, indicating the type of package data (in this case,<new-application>) and the filing office (EP):
<transmittal-info>
<new-application>
<to>
<country>EP</country>
</to>
</new-application>
</transmittal-info>
<signatories>: This element contains information regarding the parties signing the submission and the type and contents of the provided signature(s). Please refer to annex Structure of signatures inpackage-data.xmlfor a more detailed explanation on the structure and expected contents of this element when importing signed submissions. The snippet below shows the basic empty structure for an unsigned submission:
<signatories>
<signatory>
<name/>
<electronic-signature date="">
<basic-signature>
<text-string/>
</basic-signature>
</electronic-signature>
</signatory>
</signatories>
<application-request>: Contains a reference to the XML request file (e.g., for EP1001, the ep-request.xml file) included in the package.<application-body>: Contains a reference to theapplication-body.xmlfile, if present. Note that, for forms where said XML files is not included in the submission package (e.g., EP2300), this element does not need to be present.<other-documents>: References the file names for attached documents in multiple<other-doc>child elements, using thefileandfile-typeattributes. The document code to be received by the EPO server is contained in the<document-name>child element. E.g., for a EP1001 draft submission containing only the minimum required files:
<other-documents>
<other-doc file="ep-request.pdf" file-type="pdf">
<document-name>1001P</document-name>
<dtext/>
</other-doc>
<other-doc file="ep-request.xml" file-type="xml">
<document-name>REQXML</document-name>
<dtext/>
</other-doc>
<other-doc file="application-body.xml" file-type="xml">
<document-name>APPBODYXML</document-name>
<dtext/>
</other-doc>
</other-documents>
The example below shows the structure of a package-data.xml file for a EP1001 submission filed in English containing an attached application document (SPECEPO) in addition to the minimum required files:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE package-data SYSTEM "package-data.dtd">
<package-data lang="en" dtd-version="1.0" produced-by="applicant">
<transmittal-info>
<new-application>
<to>
<country>EP</country>
</to>
</new-application>
</transmittal-info>
<signatories>
<signatory>
<name/>
<electronic-signature date="">
<basic-signature>
<text-string/>
</basic-signature>
</electronic-signature>
</signatory>
</signatories>
<application-request file="ep-request.xml"/>
<application-body-doc file="application-body.xml"/>
<other-documents>
<other-doc file="ep-request.pdf" file-type="pdf">
<document-name>1001P</document-name>
<dtext/>
</other-doc>
<other-doc file="ep-request.xml" file-type="xml">
<document-name>REQXML</document-name>
<dtext/>
</other-doc>
<other-doc file="application-body.xml" file-type="xml">
<document-name>APPBODYXML</document-name>
<dtext/>
</other-doc>
<other-doc file="SPECEPO-1.pdf" file-type="pdf">
<document-name>SPECEPO</document-name>
<dtext/>
</other-doc>
</other-documents>
</package-data>
⚠️ Important
signatoriessection must be present, but may contain a blank entry for draft/unsigned submissions. The example above illustrates a blank<signatories>entry corresponding to an unsigned submission. To see the details of the structure of this element and an example corresponding to a signed submission, please refer to Annex - Structure of signatures in package-data.xml
application-body.xml
The application-body.xml file references the files and page numbers for the technical documents in the <doc-page> element, each one within the <description>, <claims>, <abstract> and <drawings> elements, using the id attribute for the document code and the file attribute for the file name.
- The
idattribute of the<doc-page>element has a unique identifier consisting of the section (e.g.DRAW) plus a counter (e.g.1), thusDRAW1. - Only drawings can be contained in more than one document: If there is more than one drawing section, there must be another
<doc-page>element with the attributeid = DRAW2, and so forth. - The counter (e.g.
1) in the file name (e.g.SPECEPO-1.pdf) does not relate to a specific document section (e.g. description), but it counts the files one by one when being attached via OLF2.0
ℹ️ Note
For a successful import of an EP1001 package, both the
<description>and<claims>elements must be present, although they can be empty. The<abstract>and<drawings>elements are not mandatory and may be omitted if not applicable.
Below is a snippet corresponding to a basic example with the minimum required content in application-body.xml for importing an EP1001 package:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE application-body
SYSTEM "ep-application-body-v1-7.dtd">
<application-body lang="en" dtd-version="1.7" country="EP">
<description>
</description>
<claims>
</claims>
</application-body>
In the example below, four individual files are attached for each section, but there could also be combined files having more than one section of the technical documents (see the examples in EP1001 - Documents).
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE application-body SYSTEM "ep-application-body-v1-7.dtd">
<application-body lang="en" dtd-version="1.7" country="EP">
<description>
<doc-page id="DESC1" he="1" wi="1" type="pdf" file="SPECEPO-1.pdf" ppf="1" ppl="30" pp="30"/>
</description>
<claims>
<doc-page id="CLMS1" he="1" wi="1" type="pdf" file="SPECEPO-2.pdf" ppf="31" ppl="67" pp="37"/>
</claims>
<abstract>
<doc-page id="ABST1" he="1" wi="1" type="pdf" file="SPECEPO-3.pdf" ppf="68" ppl="90" pp="23"/>
</abstract>
<drawings>
<doc-page id="DRAW1" he="1" wi="1" type="pdf" file="SPECEPO-4.pdf" ppf="91" ppl="102" pp="12"/>
</drawings>
</application-body>
ep-request.xml
The ep-request.xml file indicates the document code in the doc-type attribute of the <epelectronic-files> element and the file name in the <epo-file-name> element. In addition, the original file name as given by the user is contained in the <applicant-file-name> element.`
See the following sections for details and examples.
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"/>
<ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name>ep-request.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO">
<applicant-file-name>instant water description.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECEPO-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="F1002"/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
References to translated documents
In the example below, Italian has been selected as the filing language of the attached application. Therefore, the original in Italian and the translation into English must be supplied. There is one PDF file having description, claims and abstract and a second PDF file having the drawings.
application-body.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE application-body SYSTEM "ep-application-body-v1-7.dtd">
<application-body lang="en" dtd-version="1.7" country="EP">
<description>
<doc-page id="DESC1" he="1" wi="1" type="pdf" file="SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf" ppf="1" ppl="30" pp="30"/>
</description>
<claims>
<doc-page id="CLMS1" he="1" wi="1" type="pdf" file="SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf" ppf="31" ppl="67" pp="37"/>
</claims>
<abstract>
<doc-page id="ABST1" he="1" wi="1" type="pdf" file="SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf" ppf="68" ppl="90" pp="23"/>
</abstract>
<drawings>
<doc-page id="DRAW1" he="1" wi="1" type="pdf" file="SPECTRANEPO-2.pdf" ppf="91" ppl="102" pp="12"/>
</drawings>
</application-body>
ep-request.xml
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"/>
<ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name>ep-request.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECNONEPO">
<applicant-file-name>Filtro motore IT.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECNONEPO.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECTRANEPO">
<applicant-file-name>Filtro motore EN.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECTRANEPO">
<applicant-file-name>Filtro motore disegno EN.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECTRANEPO-2.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
Basic structure of ep-request.xml
The ep-request.xml file contains the application data in Form EP1001. Its root element is <eprequest>, which contains the following attributes:
| XML Attribute | Attribute Description | Example/fixed value |
|---|---|---|
lang | Procedural language for the attached/previous application, indicated by its 2-letter language code (en, fr, de). | E.g.: “en” |
dtd-version | Version of DTD used. | Fixed value: "1.0" |
produced-by | Indicates role of party generating the submission (e.g., applicant). | Fixed value: “applicant” |
ro | Code for the receiving office | Fixed value: “EP” |
date-produced | Date/time of package generation in “YYYYMMDD hh:mm:ss” format. | E.g.: "20240122 11:19:17" |
Below the top-level XML elements under <ep-request> and their key attributes are listed
<file-reference-id>
Internal/user rederence ID name for the EP1001 submission, as it will appear on the OLF2.0 GUI for edition/review. Can be any name chosen by the user with the following limitations:
- Up to 25 characters long.
- Only letters, numbers, double quotes and the following symbols:
.,<>=_-()/are supported
E.g.:
<file-reference-id>My_1001_request</file-reference-id>
<request-petition>
Descriptive name of the request corresponding to the form.
For EP1001, this will be a fixed string as follows:
<request-petition>
Grant of European patent, and examination of the application under Article 94, are hereby requested.
</request-petition>
<invention-title>
Title of the invention in each EPO language.
An EP1001 request must have 3 <invention-title> elements corresponding to each main EPO language (en, fr, de).
Attributes:
lang: Language code (2-letters) of the provided invention title (en, fr, de). E.g.:
<invention-title lang="en">DIAL-A-PIRATE copy protection card</invention-title>
<ep-previously-filedapplication>
When filing an EP1001 form by reference to a previously filed application, this element must be present and contain the details of said referred application (otherwise, it should not appear).
Please see Reference to a previously filed application for details and an example case
<parties>
List of parties involved in the application (applicants, inventors, representatives…). This element has no text value nor attributes, and instead contains a set of children elements.
Please see EP1001 – Parties, Inventors for details and example cases.
<priority-claims>
This element is only present when the application includes declaration of one or more priority claims and contains the information regarding them.
⚠️ Important
If the application does not contain any priority claims, this element should not appear.
Please see EP1001 – Application details – Priority for details and example cases.
<check-list>
Contains a list of children nodes corresponding to the type of document (request, description, claims…). E.g.: <cl-description>
Each of the aforementioned child elements indicates numeric values related to each of the documents included in the submission, such as the total count of pages on it, no. of the first and last pages, etc.
This section is not mandatory. However, please note that, if present, this section should always contain, at least, a single empty child element <clrequest/>
E.g.:
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description page-count="30" ppf="1" ppl="30"/>
Please see the section about <check-list> in EP1001 – Documents for more details and example cases.
<ep-language-of-filing>
Filing language of the attached/previous application. E.g.: “en”
Attributes:
lang-code: Code saying the type of specified filing language. Its value should be:“epo”for an EPO official language“non-epo”for a language admissible but not officially supported for EP filings“other”for any other language E.g.:
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
Please see EP1001 – General information for details and example cases.
<ep-office-specificdata>
EP1001 request data specific to the filing office (declarations, fees…).
Attributes:
office: Receiving/filing office to which the specific data in the element applies.⚠️ Important
For EP1001 filed to the EPO, this should have a fixed value of
“EP”.lang: Procedural language, same as in element<ep-request>. E.g.:“en”
This element will contain the applicable requests/declarations for EP1001 (e.g., request for reduction of fees under Rule 7a(1)), application details (i.e., designated states, priority claims…), information about the attached documents, the information regarding fees, and (optionally) any enclosed annotations to EPO.
- Applicable requests/declarations for EP1001 (e.g., request for reduction of fees under Rule 7a(1)), grouped inside sub-element
<ep-declarations>(containing one or more children for each applicable declaration). Note that, for the Request for examination in an admissible non-EPO language (Article 14(4) EPC), a separate sub-element<ep-request-for-exam-art94>is used instead. - Application details, i.e., designated states and biological materials (when applicable):
- Information regarding designated states is contained in sub-element
<ep-designated-states>. - Information regarding biological materials is contained in sub-element
<ep-biological-material>.
- Information regarding designated states is contained in sub-element
- Information about the attached documents, in one or more
<epelectronic-files>sub-elements. - Information regarding fees, in sub-element
<ep-financial-data>.
The basic example below illustrates the general structure of element <epoffice-specific-data>:
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-ofnon-designated-states="no">
…
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-request-for-exam-art94 lang="pt"/>
<ep-declarations>
<waiver-to-indicate-further-processing/>
<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/>
<declaration-of-micro-entity/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no">
…
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
Example
Below is an example showing the general structure in ep-request.xml and the top-level elements listed above
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE ep-request
SYSTEM "ep-request-v1-16.dtd">
<ep-request lang="en"
dtd-version="1.0"
produced-by="applicant"
ro="EP"
date-produced="20240122 11:19:17">
<file-reference-id>1001_appl-inv</file-reference-id>
<request-petition>Grant of European patent, and examination of the application under Article 94, are hereby requested.</request-petition>
<invention-title lang="en">INSTANT WATER</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="fr">EAU INSTANTANÉE</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="de">INSTANT-WASSER</invention-title>
<parties>
…
</parties>
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
</check-list>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
…
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no">
…
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
The details for the child elements of <ep-request>, their relevant attributes and how they are mapped to the different form fields and tabs (e.g., the list of involved parties and their contact information in the <parties> element, filled out via the Parties, Inventors tab in the EP1001 form) will be described in subsequent section in this form’s chapter.
Document codes and file types for EP1001
For the successful import of XML data into OLF2.0, the values for the <document-name> element, the doc-type attribute and the file attribute must follow the standard values for the document code as listed in the table below.
⚠️ Important
Without the correct document code, the receiving server at the EPO cannot accept files.
Request
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
ADDRESSXML | address-matching.xml | Package |
APPBODYXML | application-body.xml | Application body, see Structure of XML files for EP1001 |
APPMERGEXML | result-filing.xml | Package |
BIODEPXML | Biology | |
PACKDATAXML | package-data.xml | Package |
RECXML | xmit-receipt.xml | Receipt in XML format |
REQUESTXML | ep-request.xml | EP1001 form in XML format |
REQXML | ep-request.xml | Application data, see Structure of XML files for EP1001 |
Technical documents and their translation in official EPO language (selected procedural language)
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
SPECEPO | SPECEPO-1.pdf | Single file specification in EPO language |
SPECTRANEPO | SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf | Single file translated specification from a non-EPO language |
Technical documents in non-official EPO language or other languages
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
CLMSNONEPO | CLMSNONEPO.pdf | Claims in admissible non-EPO language |
CLMS | CLMSNONEPO.pdf | Claims in admissible non-EPO language (when referenced in package-data.xml and applicationbody.xml) |
DRAWNONEPO | DRAWNONEPO.pdf | Drawings in admissible non-EPO language |
SPECNONEPO | SPECNONEPO.pdf | Specification in admissible non-EPO language |
Optional additional files for technical documents
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
OLF-ARCHIVE | OLF-ARCHIVE.zip | Pre-conversion archive (contains original technical documents in any language, before conversion to PDF, e.g. in DOC format) |
Documents concerning biological material, sequence listings
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
SEQLXML26 | SEQLXML26.xml | Sequence listing in XML format (by WIPO Standard ST.26) |
SEQLZIP26 | SEQLZIP26.zip | Sequence listing in ZIP format (by WIPO Standard ST.26) |
BIOMAUTH | BIOM-AUTH-1.pdf | Authorisation under Rule 31(1)(d) |
BIOMRECEIPT | BIOM-RECEIPT-1.pdf | Receipt(s) of deposit issued by depositary institution |
BIOMWAIV | BIOM-WAIV-1.pdf | Waiver of the right to an undertaking from requestor pursuant to Rule 33(2) |
Documents concerning applicant, representative and inventor
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
1003 | SPECAUTH-1.pdf | Specific authorisation |
1004 | GENAUTH-1.pdf | General authorisation |
INVT201 | Signed-EPR201.pdf | Inventor waiver - Rule 20(1) EPC |
Graphic files
Documents concerning applicant, representative and inventor
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
PATXMLTIF | <filename>.jpg | Drawing in JPG format (referenced by applicationbody.xml file as a result of attaching specification in XML format) |
PATXMLTIF | <filename>.tif | Drawing in TIF format (referenced by applicationbody.xml file created by PatXML) |
OTHERTIF | <filename>.tif | Other |
SIGNIMGTIF | <Request>-signature-1.tif | Unexpected/undefined document |
Additional documents
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
PRIOTRAN | PRIOTRAN-1.pdf | Translation of priority documents |
REESGROUNDS | REESGROUNDS.pdf | Grounds for re-establishment of rights |
CERTPRIO | CERTPRIO-1.pdf | Certified priority document (must be digitally signed) |
OTHERPDF | OTHER-1.pdf | Other document in PDF format |
PRSR | PRSR-1.pdf | Search results required under Rule 141(1) EPC for priority claim |
PRSR-REF | PRSR-REF.pdf | Search results required under Rule 141(1) EPC for previously filed application |
Documents generated by OLF2.0 (not to be imported)
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
F1002 | F1002-1.pdf | Designation of inventor |
INVT201 | EPR201-1.pdf | Waiver - Rule 20(1) EPC / Inventor-related document |
1001P | ep-request.pdf | Application in PDF format |
Other document codes
| Document Code | EPO File name | Description |
|---|---|---|
ADDRREPPDF | address-matching.pdf | Manual correction of address details |
BIOM | BIOM-1.pdf | Letter concerning biological material |
CERTPRIO | CERTPRIO-1.pdf | Electronic priority document |
DASCODE | DASACCDOC.pdf | |
F1002E | f1002-1.pdf | Designation of inventor |
INCANNEX | SPECEPO-1.PDF | Annex |
INVT | INVT-1.pdf | Letter concerning the inventor |
PRIODOC | PRIO-1.pdf | Priority document |
PRSR-PRIO | PRSR-1.pdf | |
RECPDF | receipt.pdf | Acknowledgement of receipt of electronic submission of the request for grant of a European paten |
SRCH | SRCH-1.pdf | Letter concerning search matters |
⚠️ Important
If there are more than one files of the same type of document, the character 1 in the file names must be replaced by 2, 3 etc.
EP1001 - General information
Form EP1001 starts with the General information tab where basic data for the application is entered.
- Filing office
- Waivers, requests, and declarations
- Procedural language
- Filing language
- Title of invention
The basic request information listed above is imported from the following top-level XML elements and attributes under <ep-request>
<ep-request> element
<file-reference-id>
Internal ID name for the EP1001 submission, as it will appear on the OLF2.0 GUI for edition/review. Can be any name chosen by the user with the following limitations:
- Up to 25 characters long
- No blank spaces E.g.:
<file-reference-id>My_1001_request</file-reference-id>
<invention-title>
Title of the invention in a given EPO language. An EP1001 request must contain 3 <invention-title> elements corresponding to each main EPO language (en, fr, de).
Required attributes:
- lang: Language code (2-letters) of the provided invention title (en, fr, de).
E.g.:
<invention-title lang="en">INSTANT WATER</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="fr">EAU INSTANTANÉE</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="de">INSTANT-WASSER</invention-title>
ep-previously-filed-application
When filing an EP1001 form by reference to a previously filed application, this element must be present and contain the details of said referred application (otherwise, it should not appear).
ep-language-of-filing
Must have the 2-3 letter code of the filing language of the attached/previous application. E.g.: “en”
Required attributes:
lang-code: Code indicating the type of specified filing language. Its value should be:“epo”for an EPO official language. Possible values in this case are: en (English), fr (French), de (German).“non-epo”for a language admissible but not officially supported for EP filings. Possible values in this case are:- sq (Albanian), bg (Bulgarian), hr (Croatian), cs (Czech), da (Danish), nl (Dutch), et (Estonian), fi (Finnish), el (Greek), hu (Hungarian), is (Icelandic), ga (Irish), it (Italian), lv (Latvian), lt (Lithuanian), lb (Luxembourgish), mk (Macedonian), mt (Maltese), cnr (Montenegrin), no (Norwegian), pl (Polish), pt (Portuguese), ro (Romanian), sr (Serbian), sk (Slovak), sl (Slovenian), es (Spanish), sv (Swedish), tr (Turkish)
"other"for any other language.
E.g:
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
Note that, when attribute lang-code is “non-epo” or “other”, a second <ep-language-of-filing> element with lang-code=”translation” must appear indicating the language in which the (mandatory) translation of the filing is being submitted. E.g.:
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="other">el</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="translation">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data>
EP1001 request data specific to the filing office. This XML element may contain data from the General information tab related to procedural language and applicable requests and declarations. The attributes containing general application information are:
office: Filing office to which the specific data in the element applies. For EP1001 filed to EPO, this should have a fixed value of“EP”.lang: Procedural language, same as in element<ep-request>. E.g.:“en”E.g.:
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
Depending on When the submission includes any of the following requests and/or declarations, element <ep-office-specific-data> may contain one or more additional children (see below).
<ep-office-specific-data> details
When the submission includes any of the following requests and/or declarations selectable from the General information tab, element <ep-office-specific-data> must contain one or more additional children as described below:
- Request for examination in an admissible non-EPO language (Article 14(4) EPC): A
<ep-request-for-exam-art94>child element must be present indicating the code of the requested language in its lang attribute. E.g.:
<ep-request-for-exam-art94 lang="sq"/>
- Filing of a new European patent application by the entitled person (Article 61(1)(b) EPC, Rule 17 EPC): An
<ep-art61-appl>child element must be present indicating the application number of the earlier application, following the EP########.# format. E.g.:
<ep-art61-appl>EP20760406.7</ep-art61-appl>
- Waiver of the right to be asked whether to proceed further with the application (Rule 70(2) EPC): An
<ep-declarations>child must be present having an empty element<waiver-to-indicate-further-processing/>to indicate this declaration. - The/Each applicant requests a reduction of fees under Rule 7a(1) EPC and is a natural person or entity under Rule 7a(2) EPC: An
<ep-declarations>child must be present containing an empty element<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/>to indicate this declaration. - The/Each applicant requests a reduction of fees under Rule 7a(3) EPC and is a micro-entity under Rule 7a(3) EPC: An
<ep-declarations>child must be present containing an empty element<declaration-of-micro-entity/>to indicate this declaration.
The example snippet below shows the structure of an <ep-office-specific-data> element containing all the above declarations, including a request for examination in Portuguese (pt) and a referral to an earlier application for filing of a new EP by the entitled person under Article 61:
<ep-office-specific-data>
…
<ep-request-for-exam-art94 lang="pt"/>
<ep-art61-appl>EP20760406.7</ep-art61-appl>
<ep-declarations>
<waiver-to-indicate-further-processing/>
<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/>
<declaration-of-micro-entity/>
</ep-declarations>
…
</ep-office-specific-data>
ℹ️ Note
Depending on the General information options selected for the request, additional XML elements and attributes may also need to be defined in other sections of
ep-request.xmlbesides the items in the above list. Please see the examples provided in the subsequent sections for various examples covering different scenarios and applicable options.
Request in English
ep-request.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE ep-request SYSTEM "ep-request-v1-5.dtd">
<ep-request lang="en"
dtd-version="1.0"
produced-by="applicant"
ro="EP"
date-produced="20240119 15:25:39">
<!--software_name --><!--software_version --><!--stylesheet_version -->
<file-reference-id>1001-request-EN</file-reference-id>
<request-petition>Grant of European patent, and examination of the application under Article 94, are hereby requested.</request-petition>
<invention-title lang="en">INSTANT WATER</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="fr">EAU INSTANTANÉE</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="de">INSTANT-WASSER</invention-title>
<parties>
<check-list/>
</parties>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data ep-lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"/>
<ep-declarations>
<waiver-to-indicate-further-processing/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
| XML Element | How value is stored |
|---|---|
<file-reference-id> | Element value. E.g.: <file-reference-id>1001-request-EN</file-reference-id> |
<ep-request> | Value in attribute ro. E.g.: <ep-request lang="en" ro="EP" ... > |
<waiver-to-indicate-further-processing/> | Element presence (empty) |
<ep-office-specific-data> | Value in attribute lang |
<ep-language-of-filing> | Element value |
<invention-title lang="en"> | Element value |
<invention-title lang="fr"> | Element value |
<invention-title lang="de"> | Element value |
<ep-request> | Value in attribute date-produced |
Request in other languages, declaration under Rule 7a(1) EPC
This example proves an application where both the request for examination and the patent application documents are submitted in an admissible non-official EPO language (i.e., the language is not English, German or French).
If all applicant(s) fulfil the conditions of Rule 7a(2) EPC, they can opt for the Declaration under Rule 7a(1). Please refer to the Online Filing 2.0 User Guide for more details on the effect of the language settings.
The <declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/> element requires that:
- the
<ep-request-for-exam-art94/>is present and the value of its lang attribute is the two-letter code of one of the admissible non-official EPO languages -OR- "non-epo"is the value of thelang-codeattribute in the<ep-language-of-filing>element and the content of the element is the two-letter code of one of the admissible non-official EPO languages.
The <declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/> element is required where applicant(s) referred to in Article 14(4) EPC fulfil the conditions of Rule 7a(2) EPC and therefore wish to apply fee reductions
ep-request.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE ep-request SYSTEM "ep-request-v1-5.dtd">
<ep-request lang="fr"
dtd-version="1.0"
produced-by="applicant"
ro="EP"
date-produced="20240122 07:41:16">
<!--software_name --><!--software_version --><!--stylesheet_version -->
<file-reference-id>1001-request-IT/FR</file-reference-id>
<request-petition>Grant of European patent, and examination of the application under Article 94, are hereby requested.</request-petition>
<invention-title lang="fr">EAU INSTANTANÉE</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="en">INSTANT WATER</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="de">INSTANT-WASSER</invention-title>
<parties>
<check-list/>
</parties>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="non-epo">it</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="translation">fr</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data ep-lang="fr">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"/>
<ep-request-for-exam-art94 lang="it"/>
<ep-declarations>
<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
| XML Element | How value is stored |
|---|---|
<file-reference-id> | Element value |
<ep-request> | Attribute ro |
<ep-request-for-exam-art-94> | Element presence (when 3 is applicable) |
<ep-request-for-exam-art-94> | Attribute lang |
<ep-office-specific-data> | Attribute lang |
<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person /> | Element presence |
<ep-office-specific-data> | Attribute lang |
<ep-language-of-filing> | Attribute lang-code |
<ep-language-of-filing> | Element value |
<invention-title lang="fr"> | Element value |
<invention-title lang="en"> | Element value |
<invention-title lang="de"> | Element value |
<ep-request> | Attribute date-produced |
Divisional application
ep-request.xml
<ep-divisional-appl>
<parent-doc>
<document-id lang="en">
<country>EP</country>
<doc-number>EP14800500.2</doc-number>
<date>20140917</date>
</document-id>
</parent-doc>
<ep-first-communication-raising-lack-of-unity>
<date/>
</ep-first-communication-raising-lack-of-unity>
<ep-divisional-generation generation="3"/>
<ep-declaration-and-request-on-sequence-listing-of-earlier-application/>
</ep-divisional-appl>
<ep-declarations/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="F1002"/>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
Filing of a new European patent application by the entitled person, declaration under Rule 7a(3) EPC
This example proves an application where a request is made for filing of a new European patent application referencing an earlier application (Article 61(1)(b) EPC, Rule 17 EPC) and with the applicant being declared a micro-entity under Rule 7a(3) EPC in order to request a reduction of fees.
Following Article 61(1)(b) EPC, Rule 17 EPC, if by a final decision it is adjudged that a person other than the applicant is entitled to the grant of the European patent, that person may file a new European patent application in respect of the same invention. This is indicated by selecting the “Filing of a new European patent application by the entitled person (Article 61(1)(b) EPC, Rule 17 EPC)” checkbox on the General information tab on the OLF2.0 GUI.
If all applicant(s) fulfil the conditions of Rule 7a(3) EPC, they can opt for the declaration under said rule to request a reduction of fees. This is indicated by selecting the “The/Each applicant requests a reduction of fees under Rule 7a(3) EPC and is a micro-entity under Rule 7a(3) EPC” checkbox on the General information tab on the OLF2.0 GUI.
ep-request.xml
In this scenario, the ep-request.xml file must include the following additional XML elements inside the <ep-office-specific-data> element (shown as highlighted lines on the example snippet below):
- Filing of a new European patent application by the entitled person: Element
<ep-art61-appl>must appear under the<ep-office-specific-data>, containing the application number of the earlier application in question following the EP########.# format. - The/Each applicant requests a reduction of fees and is a micro-entity under Rule 7a(3) EPC: Section
<ep-declarations>must be present under<ep-office-specific-data>and contain an empty child element<declaration-of-micro-entity/>.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE ep-request SYSTEM "ep-request-v1-16.dtd">
<ep-request lang="en"
dtd-version="1.0"
produced-by="applicant"
ro="EP"
date-produced="20240122 11:19:17">
<file-reference-id>1001_appl-inv</file-reference-id>
<request-petition>
Grant of European patent, and examination of the application under Article 94, are hereby requested.
</request-petition>
<invention-title lang="en">INSTANT WATER</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="fr">EAU INSTANTANÉE</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="de">INSTANT-WASSER</invention-title>
<parties>
…
</parties>
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
</check-list>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
…
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-art61-appl>EP20760406.7</ep-art61-appl>
<ep-declarations>
<declaration-of-micro-entity/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no">
…
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
Reference to a previously filed European application
ep-request.xml
When referring to a previously filed EP application (element 4), the ep-request.xml file will include an additional XML element <ep-previously-filed-application>, which contains the following attributes:
| XML Attribute | Attribute Description | Example/fixed value |
|---|---|---|
filing-date | Date of filing of the previously filed application, in YYYYMMDD format (element 7) | E.g.: "20090430" |
ep-document-type | Type of referred document (element 6). Can be one of the following: patent, provisional, utility, PCT | E.g.: "patent" |
replaces-claim | "yes" or "no" value indicating if the previously filed application also replaces claims (Rule 57(c)). | E.g.: "no" |
number-of-claims | If the application replaces claims (see above), this specifies the no. of claims in the previously filed application. | Blank when replaces-claim="no" |
contains-sequence-listing | "yes" or "no" value indicating if the description contains a sequence listing in accordance with Rule 30(1). | E.g.: "no" |
is-also-priority | "yes" or "no" value indicating if the referred previously filed application is also a priority application. | E.g.: "no" |
certified-copy | This is an optional attribute when the “Office where the previously filed application was filed” is not EP | E.g.: "later" |
<file-reference-id>1001-doc-prevef</file-reference-id>
<request-petition>
Grant of European patent, and examination of the application under Article 94, are hereby requested.
</request-petition>
<invention-title lang="en">Instant water</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="fr">Eau instantanée</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="de">Instant wasser</invention-title>
<ep-previously-filed-application
filing-date="20090430"
ep-document-type="patent"
replaces-claims="no"
number-of-claims=""
contains-sequence-listing="no"
is-also-priority="no">
<document-id lang="en">
<country>EP</country>
<doc-number>EP09000123.1</doc-number>
</document-id>
</ep-previously-filed-application>
<parties>
…
</parties>
<check-list/>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"/>
<ep-art61-appl>EP09000123.1</ep-art61-appl>
<ep-declarations/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECIPO"/>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
Reference to a previous international application
ep-request.xml
<ep-previously-filed-application
filing-date="20120627"
ep-document-type="patent"
replaces-claims="yes"
number-of-claims="25"
contains-sequence-listing="yes"
is-also-priority="yes"
certified-copy="later">
<document-id lang="it">
<country>IT</country>
<doc-number>TO2012A123456</doc-number>
</document-id>
</ep-previously-filed-application>
<parties>
…
</parties>
<priority-claims>
<ep-priority-claim sequence="1" kind="national" ep-document-type="patent">
<country>IT</country>
<doc-number>TO2012A800789</doc-number>
<date>20121125</date>
<priority-doc-from-library/>
<earlier-searches/>
</ep-priority-claim>
</priority-claims>
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-claims number-claims-fee-calculation="15"/>
<cl-abstract page-count="8" ppf="1" ppl="8"/>
</check-list>
<figure-to-publish/>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="non-epo">it</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="translation">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"/>
<ep-declarations>
<ep-declaration-translation-filed-later/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
EP1001 – Parties, Inventors
The Parties, Inventors tab of Form EP1001 accommodates all data for names, persons and addresses relating to the application. At least one applicant is required.
- Applicant(s)
- Representative(s)
- Inventor(s)
- Authorisations and waivers
- Address for correspondence
The <parties> element in ep-request.xml contains all the different parties involved in the submission (in the case of EP1001, applicants, representatives/agents or inventors) and is grouped into the following entries:
<applicants>contains one or more<applicant>elements for each involved applicant.- When an applicant is named in
<applicants>section as a common representative, a single<correspondence-address>element may also be present under<parties>providing a separate address for correspondence for said applicant (if applicable).
- When an applicant is named in
<agents>contains one or more<ep-agent>elements for each involved representative.<inventors>contains one or more<ep-inventor>elements for each involved inventor.
The required attributes for each individual <applicant>, <ep-inventor> and <ep-agent> element are mostly specific to the type of party, as listed in the tables below
<applicant> attribute
| XML Attribute | Attribute Description | Example/fixed value |
|---|---|---|
sequence | Order no. of the applicant in the list of applicants. Always required. “0” if no applicants. | "1" |
designation | Fixed value indicating that designated states are as indicated in the submission. Always required. | "as-indicated" |
app-type | Indicates the type of applicant. Always required. Can be one of: | "applicant-inventor" |
- "applicant": regular applicant | ||
- "applicant-inventor": applicant who is also the inventor | ||
- "employee": legal applicant represented by employee |
<ep-agent> attributes
| XML Attribute | Attribute Description | Example/fixed value |
|---|---|---|
sequence | Order no. of the representative in the list. Always required. | "1" |
rep-type | Always required. Indicates sub-type of representative: | "common-representative" |
- "common-representative": association | ||
- "agent": individual | ||
- "attorney": legal practitioner | ||
ep-association-number | Required if rep-type="common-representative". Must provide association registration number. | "125" |
ep-authorisation | Indicates general authorisation type. Required if filing a general authorisation. Values: | "attached" |
- "attached": individual authorisation attached | ||
- "registered": authorisation number must be provided in general_authorisation_number | ||
- "filed-not-yet-registered" | ||
general_authorisation_number | Required if ep-authorisation="registered". Must provide registered number. | "102356" |
<ep-inventor> attributes
| XML Attribute | Attribute Description | Example/fixed value |
|---|---|---|
sequence | Order no. of the inventor in the list of inventors. Always required. | "1" |
designation | Fixed value indicating that designated states are as indicated in the submission. Always required. | "as-indicated" |
deceased | "yes" or "no" value indicating if the inventor is deceased. Always required. | "no" |
inv-rights | Always required. Indicates how the inventor acquired the right to the European patent. Values: | "under-agreement" |
- "employee": as employer | ||
- "successor": as successor in title | ||
- "under-agreement": based on agreement (requires inv-rights-date) |
ℹ️ Note
Even if a submission is to be imported with no applicants listed under the Parties, Inventors section (either as a draft to be filled out later, or as a submission with only representatives named), the
<applicants>section must still be present and contain an empty<applicant>entry with asequenceno."0", as the example snippet below:
<applicants>
<applicant sequence="0" app-type="applicant" designation="as-indicated">
<addressbook lang="en">
<name name-type="legal"/>
<address>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
</addressbook>
<nationality>
<country/>
</nationality>
<residence>
<country/>
</residence>
</applicant>
</applicants>
Each <applicant>, <ep-inventor>, and <ep-agent> element should contain:
- A single
<addressbook>sub-element with the name and address details.
This element should always be present (required). - If a specific country of nationality is to be specified, a
<nationality>sub-element should also be present.
This will contain a single<country>child element with the 2-letter country code
(e.g.,"IT"for Italy). - Similarly, if a specific country of residence is to be specified, a
<residence>sub-element should also be present,
with the same internal structure as the above.
ℹ️ Note
The
<nationality>and<residence>sections are only applicable to<applicant>and<ep-agent>entries
(i.e., not for<ep-inventor>).
The example below shows the basic structure for the <parties> section in a request that only includes a single applicant specifying Italy (IT) as both their nationality and residence country:
<parties>
<applicants>
<applicant sequence="1"
designation="as-indicated"
app-type="applicant">
<addressbook lang="en">
…
</addressbook>
<nationality>
<country>IT</country>
</nationality>
<residence>
<country>IT</country>
</residence>
</applicant>
</applicants>
</parties>
The <addressbook> element with the name and address detail for each party will have the following single attribute:
lang: 2-letter language code. This must match the procedural language for the attached/referred application. E.g.:<addressbook lang="en">
The structure of the <addressbook> element is specific to the type of party involved (applicant/representative/inventor) and its sub-type (e.g., legal or natural person, for applicants)
<applicant> — Applicant, legal person
<name name-type="legal"/>
<registered-number/>
<address>
<address-2/>
<pobox/>
<street/>
<city/>
<state/>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
<phone/>
<email/>
<applicant> — Applicant, natural person
<last-name/>
<first-name/>
<orgname/>
<department/>
<registered-number/>
<address>
<pobox/>
<street/>
<city/>
<state/>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
<phone/>
<email/>
<ep-agent> — Professional representative, association
<last-name/>
<department/>
<registered-number/>
<address>
<pobox/>
<street/>
<city/>
<state/>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
<phone/>
<email/>
<ep-agent> — Professional representative, individual
<last-name/>
<first-name/>
<ep-agent> — Legal practitioner
Same as above.
<ep-inventor> — Inventor
<last-name/>
<first-name/>
<address>
<city/>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
ℹ️ Note
- For representatives of sub-type association (i.e., with attribute
rep-type=“common-representative”), the value of the<last-name>element corresponds to the Organisation name of the association acting as representative.- Note that other address detail elements available for Applicants do not appear for Inventors in OLF2.0’s GUI and the PDF request. However, those elements still exist in XML.
- In the case of applicants, element
<registered-number/>is ignored and can be empty.
Below is an example showing the general structure of a <parties> element in ep-request.xml containing a single <applicant> entry, with the top-level elements and attributes listed in the previous tables:
<parties>
<applicants>
<applicant sequence="1"
designation="as-indicated"
app-type="applicant-inventor">
<addressbook lang="en">
<last-name>Manzoni</last-name>
<first-name>Salvatore</first-name>
<orgname>Borghese S.A.</orgname>
<department>Invenzioni</department>
<registered-number/>
<address>
<pobox/>
<street>Via Roma 8 / Piazza del Duomo</street>
<city>Milano</city>
<state/>
<postcode>20100</postcode>
<country>IT</country>
</address>
<phone>+39 2 5056 10</phone>
<email>[email protected]</email>
</addressbook>
<nationality>
<country>IT</country>
</nationality>
<residence>
<country>IT</country>
</residence>
</applicant>
</applicants>
</parties>
Example: Applicant is natural person and also inventor
ep-request.xml
In this example, there is only one <applicant> in the <applicants> group:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE ep-request
SYSTEM "ep-request-v1-5.dtd">
<ep-request lang="en"
dtd-version="1.0"
produced-by="applicant"
ro="EP"
date-produced="20240122 11:19:17">
<!--software_name --><!--software_version --><!--stylesheet_version -->
<file-reference-id>1001_appl-inv</file-reference-id>
<request-petition>
Grant of European patent, and examination of the application under Article 94, are hereby requested.
</request-petition>
<invention-title lang="en">INSTANT WATER</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="fr">EAU INSTANTANÉE</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="de">INSTANT-WASSER</invention-title>
<parties>
<applicant sequence="1" designation="as-indicated" app-type="applicant-inventor">
<addressbook lang="en">
<prefix/>
<last-name>Manzoni</last-name>
<first-name>Salvatore</first-name>
<orgname>Borghese S.A.</orgname>
<department>Invenzioni</department>
<registered-number/>
<address>
<pobox/>
<street>Via Roma 8 / Piazza del Duomo</street>
<city>Milano</city>
<state/>
<postcode>20100</postcode>
<country>IT</country>
</address>
<phone>+39 2 5056 101</phone>
<email>[email protected]</email>
</addressbook>
<nationality>
<country>IT</country>
</nationality>
<residence>
<country>IT</country>
</residence>
</applicant>
</parties>
<check-list/>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en"/>
</ep-request>
ℹ️ Note
Element (19) Address for correspondence can only be supplied if, for the referred applicant:
- Checkbox Common representative is enabled in the GUI.
- Element (18) Country/territory of residence is set to an EPC contracting state (e.g.: IT)
A
<correspondence-address>child element must also be present inside<parties>in XML fileep-request.xml, in addition to<applicants>.
This element must contain a single<addressbook>record in a similar format as described above, but containing only the following children:
<last-name>,<first-name>,<address>
See example below:
<parties>
<applicants>
...
</applicants>
<correspondence-address>
<addressbook lang="en">
<last-name>Manzoni</last-name>
<first-name>Salvatore</first-name>
<address>
<pobox/>
<street>Via Roma 8 / Piazza del Duomo</street>
<city>Milano</city>
<state/>
<postcode>20100</postcode>
<country>IT</country>
</address>
</addressbook>
</correspondence-address>
</parties>
Example: Two applicants, two representatives, one inventor
The structure of the names data is basically the same for all persons and is described above for the applicant. There are further options for representatives.
ep-request.xml
<parties>
<applicants>
<applicant sequence="1" designation="as-indicated" app-type="applicant"/>
<applicant sequence="2" designation="as-indicated" app-type="applicant"/>
</applicants>
<inventors>
<ep-inventor sequence="1"
designation="as-indicated"
deceased="no"
inv-rights="successor"/>
</inventors>
<agents>
<ep-agent rep-type="common-representative"
sequence="1"
ep-authorisation="registered"
general_authorisation_number="102356"
ep-association-number="0.0">
<addressbook lang="en">
<last-name>IP Partners</last-name>
<first-name/>
<department>European Patents</department>
<registered-number/>
<address>
<pobox>5088</pobox>
<street>Cambridge Science Park / 100 Red Lion Square</street>
<city>Cambridge</city>
<state>Cambridgeshire</state>
<postcode>CB2 1AB</postcode>
<country>GB</country>
</address>
<phone>+44 1223 3516-0</phone>
<email>[email protected]</email>
</addressbook>
</ep-agent>
<ep-agent rep-type="attorney"
sequence="2"
ep-authorisation="attached"/>
</agents>
</parties>
Example: Two applicants with Rule 7a(1) declaration, first applicant represented by authorised employee
ep-request.xml
<ep-request ...>
...
<parties>
<applicants>
<applicant sequence="1" designation="as-indicated" app-type="applicant">
<addressbook lang="en"/>
<nationality>
<country/>
</nationality>
<residence>
<country>CH</country>
</residence>
</applicant>
<applicant sequence="2" designation="as-indicated" app-type="applicant">
<addressbook lang="en"/>
<nationality>
<country>IT</country>
</nationality>
<residence>
<country>IT</country>
</residence>
</applicant>
<applicant sequence="1" app-type="employee" designation="as-indicated">
<addressbook lang="en">
<prefix/>
<last-name>Mercer</last-name>
<first-name>Jeanne-Marie</first-name>
<iid>23.78990</iid>
<address>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
</addressbook>
<nationality>
<country>EP</country>
</nationality>
<residence>
<country>EP</country>
</residence>
</applicant>
</applicants>
</parties>
<check-list/>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="non-epo">it</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="translation">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"/>
<ep-request-for-exam-art94 lang="it"/>
<ep-declarations>
<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
Example: Inventor with waiver under Rule 20(1) EPC
ep-request.xml
<inventors>
<ep-inventor sequence="1" designation="as-indicated" deceased="no" inv-rights="under-agreement" inv-rights-date="20140923"/>
<ep-inventor sequence="2" designation="as-indicated" deceased="no" inv-rights="under-agreement" inv-rights-date="20131126"/>
<ep-inventor sequence="3" designation="as-indicated" deceased="no" renunciation="yes" inv-rights="employee">
<addressbook lang="en">
<last-name>Lavaill</last-name>
<first-name>Thierry</first-name>
<address>
<city>Rome</city>
<postcode/>
<country>IT</country>
</address>
</addressbook>
</ep-inventor>
<ep-inventor sequence="4" designation="as-indicated" deceased="no" inv-rights="employee"/>
<ep-inventor sequence="5" designation="as-indicated" deceased="yes" inv-rights="successor">
<addressbook lang="en">
<last-name>Lavaill</last-name>
<first-name>Bertrand</first-name>
<address>
<city/>
<postcode/>
<country>FR</country>
</address>
</addressbook>
</ep-inventor>
</inventors>
...
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"/>
<ep-declarations/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="INVT201">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>Signed-EPR201-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="F1002">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>f1002-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="F1002E">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>f1002-2.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
</ep-office-specific-data>
ℹ️ Note
The signed waiver must be attached as an additional document (
Signed-EPR201.pdf) to take effect. The fileEPR201-3.pdfis automatically created by Online Filing 2.0 and may be used for printing and signing; as its automatically created by the system, you are not required to attach it to the application.
Application details – Designation of states
The Designation of contracting states, extension states, validation states section of tab Application details in Form EP1001 allows applicants to select designated states, extension states and validation states for their application.
- All the contracting states party to the EPC are automatically selected for designation; there is only one flat fee for all states.
- Different designations can be assigned to different applicants, if there is more than one applicant. The designation fee, however, has always to be paid for all contracting states.
- All extension states or individual extension states can be selected. The extension fee is due for each individual state.
- All validation states or individual validation states can be selected where applicable. The validation fee is due for each individual state.
The applicable designation, extension and validation states are defined by the states applicable on the date of import/export or filing, respectively. In case of a divisional application, the states as of the date of filing of the earlier application are deemed to be designated.
ℹ️ Note
For the latest list of EPC contracting states, extension states and validation states see the EPO website at About us > Legal foundations and member states. The EPC contracting states include all overseas departments and territories
The global information about selection of designated contracting/extension/validation states (applicable to all applicants) is imported from element <ep-designated-states> inside <ep-office-specific-data>. Below is an example showing the basic structure of element <ep-designated-states> in ep-request.xml and the top-level elements in it:
<ep-request lang="en"
dtd-version="1.0"
produced-by="applicant"
ro="EP"
date-produced="20240122 11:19:17">
…
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<country>…</country>
…
<extension-states>
…
</extension-states>
<validation-states>
…
</validation-states>
</ep-designated-states>
…
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
The root <ep-designated-states> element shown above must contain the following attributes:
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no": required value which must be always present and set to valueno.
The root <ep-designated-states> element should be followed by:
- A
<region>element, which is always present and always contains the following single entry:<country>EP</country>(representing all contracting states in EPC). - A set of none or more
<country>child elements, one per contracting state that is hereby designated to the application. E.g.:<country>FR </country> - An
<extension-states>element, which can either be empty (if no extension states are selected for the application) or, otherwise, contain a set of one or more<country>child elements listing the selected extension states. - A
<validation-states>element, identical in format to the one above but for validation states.
For scenarios where multiple applicants need to indicate different designated states from the others, this information will be imported from a <designated-states> element inside their corresponding <applicant> entry in <parties>. The basic structure of this <designated-states> element is the same as the one inside <ep-office-specific-data> as previously described. E.g.:
<applicant sequence="1"
designation="as-indicated"
app-type="applicant">
<addressbook lang="en">
…
</addressbook>
<nationality/>
<residence/>
<designated-states>
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<country>…</country>
…
</designated-states>
</applicant>
See the examples provided below for details about the structure of this element and its expected children elements / attributes for several scenarios.
Example: Designation – All states designated
ep-request.xml
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<extension-states/>
<validation-states/>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-declarations>
Elements list:
- All states which are contracting to the EPC at the time of filing this application are hereby designated.
- Country = EP, comprising automatically all states
Example: Different states for two applicants in divisional application
For scenarios where multiple applicants have different designated states, those will be listed in a <designated-states> element inside their corresponding <applicant> entry in <parties>. The basic structure of this <designated-states> element is the same as the one inside <ep-office-specific-data> as previously described. E.g.:
<applicant sequence="1"
designation="as-indicated"
app-type="applicant">
<addressbook lang="en">
…
</addressbook>
<nationality/>
<residence/>
<designated-states>
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<country>…</country>
…
</designated-states>
</applicant>
The example below demonstrates the selection of different designation states for two different applicants.
<parties>
<applicants>
<applicant sequence="1" designation="as-indicated" app-type="applicant">
<addressbook lang="en">
</addressbook>
<nationality>
</nationality>
<residence>
<designated-states>
<country>ES</country>
<country>FR</country>
<country>IT</country>
<country>MC</country>
<country>MT</country>
</designated-states>
</residence>
</applicant>
<applicant sequence="2" designation="as-indicated" app-type="applicant-inventor">
<addressbook lang="en">
</addressbook>
<nationality>
</nationality>
<residence>
<designated-states>
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<country>AL</country>
<country>AT</country>
<country>BE</country>
<country>TR</country>
<country>LI</country>
</designated-states>
</residence>
</applicant>
</applicants>
</parties>
<check-list>
</check-list>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<extension-states/>
<validation-states/>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-declarations>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="10011">
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="10033">
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no">
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
ℹ️ Note
By default, when using the OLF2.0 GUI, all states are designated for a European patent application. If you want to include only specific states for the applicants individually, you can do so by selecting them in the form – or listing them in the XML file for import.
Example: All extension states and no validation states selected
If no validation states are selected, the <validation-states/> element must be empty, as shown in the example below:
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<extension-states>
<country>BA</country>
</extension-states>
<validation-states/>
</ep-designated-states>
Example: All validation states and no extension states selected
If no extension states are selected, the <extension-states/> element must be empty, as shown in the example below:
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<extension-states/>
<validation-states>
<country>KH</country>
<country>MA</country>
<country>MD</country>
<country>TN</country>
<country>GE</country>
</validation-states>
</ep-designated-states>
Application details – Priority
The Priority section in tab Application details in Form EP1001 is used to enter all priority declarations. The number of national, regional and international priorities is unlimited.
The information about priority claims for the application is imported from section <priority-claims> inside <ep-request> of ep-request.xml.
ℹ️ Note
This section must be present if the application has a declaration for one or more priority claims. Otherwise, it can be omitted from
ep-request.xml.
Below is an example showing the basic structure of element <priority-claims> in ep-request.xml and the top-level elements in it:
…
</parties>
<priority-claims>
<ep-priority-claim sequence="1" kind="national" ep-document-type="patent">
<country/>
<doc-number/>
<date/>
<priority-doc-from-library/>
<earlier-searches>
<earlier-search search-type="national"
id="ID_1"
office=""
declaration-of-no-search="not-determined">
<doc-page he="1" type="pdf" wi="1" file=""/>
</earlier-search>
</earlier-searches>
</ep-priority-claim>
…
</priority-claims>
<check-list>
…
Each declaration of priority is stored as a <ep-priority-claim> element in <priority-claims>, and must contain the following attributes:
sequence: Order no. of the priority claim in the list. E.g.: “1” for the first claim.kind: can be “national”, “regional” and “international”, depending on the type of claim.ep-document-type: type of application document being attached. Can be one of the following values:“patent”(default type in most cases)“utility”(utility model)“provisional”“PCT”(for international claims)
The child elements in each <ep-priority-claim> entry are listed below
<country>: 2-letter code of country/region to which the claim applies. E.g.:<country>FR</country>(France)<country>EP</country>(all EPC countries).
<doc-number>: Application number of priority claim.<date>: Date of priority claim, inyyyyMMddformat.<priority-doc-from-library>: When the EPO is requested to retrieve priority documents from the WIPO Digital Access System (DAS), this element must be present with an empty value and the attributes below. If there is no such request, the element can be empty or missing.library-identifier: Empty value.action-by: Empty value.priority-doc-access-code: DAS Access code.
E.g.:
<!-- WIPO DAS priority -->
<priority-doc-from-library library-identifier="" action-by="" priority-doc-access-code="1234"/>
<earlier-searches>- Contains a single
<earlier-search>element with the following attributes:search-type: must be one of the following values depending on how of the kind attribute in its parent<ep-priority-claim>element was set:“national”, ifkind=”national”“international-type”, ifkind=”regional”“isr”, ifkind=”international”
id-by: “ID_ #”, where#is the sequence number of the claim. E.g.:“ID_1”office: must match the value of the country attribute in its parent<ep-priority-claim>element. E.g.:“FR”declaration-of-no-search: should always be fixed value“not-determined”.
- Contains a single
<doc-page>sub-element with the following attributes:he: fixed value“1”.type: fixed value“pdf”.wi:fixed value“1”.file: EPO filename of attached priority document. E.g.:“PRSR-1.pdf”
- Contains a single
E.g.:
<!-- Earlier searches -->
<earlier-searches>
<earlier-search search-type="national"
id="ID_1"
office="FR"
declaration-of-no-search="not-determined">
<doc-page he="1" type="pdf" wi="1" file="PRSR-1.pdf"/>
</earlier-search>
</earlier-searches>
Additionally, when adding a priority claim, it is also possible to:
- Request the re-establishment of rights (Article 122 EPC, Rule 136(1) EPC) in respect of the priority period (Article 87(1) EPC). Re-establishment of rights is applicable when the filing date of the priority application is between 12 and 14 months prior to the filing date of the new application.
- Declare that the European patent application being filed is a complete translation of this priority application (Rule 53(3) EPC).
- Declare that there is no intention to file a (further) declaration of priority.
In those cases, additional information needs to be imported from section <ep-declarations> in the <ep-office-specific-data> top-level element in ep-request.xml, specifically from the following entries that must be present if any of the above cases are applicable (otherwise, they can be missing from the XML file).
<request-re-establishment><declaration-complete-translation-of-priority><declaration-no-intention-to-file-further-priority/>
The following sample snippet shows the basic structure for the above entries:
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
…
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-declarations>
<request-re-establishment>
<document-id lang="">
<country>EP</country>
<doc-number>10123000.1</doc-number>
</document-id>
</request-re-establishment>
<declaration-complete-translation-of-priority>
<document-id lang="">
<country>IT</country>
<doc-number>TO 2011 A234098</doc-number>
</document-id>
</declaration-complete-translation-of-priority>
<declaration-no-intention-to-file-further-priority/>
</ep-declarations>
Please see the example scenario provided below for more details on the structure described above.
Example: Three types of priority claims (national, regional, international)
In the provided example:
- Three priorities have been entered, one for each priority type: national, regional and international.
- The national priority has the translation option selected and the international priority with the "Request for retrieval of priority document from DAS" option selected.
- Copies of the search results have been attached for both the national and the regional priority.
- The applicant also declares that it is not intended to file a further declaration of priority.
<!-- Priority XML: national, regional and international priority -->
<priority-claims>
<ep-priority-claim sequence="1" kind="national" ep-document-type="patent">
<country>IT</country>
<doc-number>TO 2011 A234098</doc-number>
<date>20110906</date>
<priority-doc-from-library/>
<earlier-searches>
<earlier-search search-type="national" id="ID_1" office="IT">
<declaration-of-no-search="not-determined"/>
<doc-page he="1" type="pdf" wi="1" file="PRSR-1.pdf"/>
</earlier-search>
</earlier-searches>
</ep-priority-claim>
<ep-priority-claim sequence="2" kind="regional" ep-document-type="patent">
<country>EP</country>
<doc-number>EP23123456.8</doc-number>
<date>20230109</date>
<priority-doc-from-library/>
<earlier-searches>
<earlier-search search-type="international-type" id="ID_3" office="EP">
<declaration-of-no-search="not-determined"/>
<doc-page he="1" type="pdf" wi="1" file="PRSR-2.pdf"/>
</earlier-search>
</earlier-searches>
</ep-priority-claim>
<ep-priority-claim sequence="3" kind="international" ep-document-type="patent">
<country>US</country>
<doc-number>PCT/US2011/123456</doc-number>
<date>20110712</date>
<priority-doc-from-library library-identifier="" action-by="" priority-doc-access-code="1234"/>
<earlier-searches>
<earlier-search search-type="isr" id="ID_2" office="US">
<declaration-of-no-search="not-determined"/>
<doc-page he="1" type="pdf" wi="1" file=""/>
</earlier-search>
</earlier-searches>
</ep-priority-claim>
</priority-claims>
<!-- Priority XML: priority declarations and search results -->
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
<ep-declaration>
<declaration-complete-translation-of-priority>
<document-id lang="">
<country>IT</country>
<doc-number>TO 2011 A234098</doc-number>
</document-id>
</declaration-complete-translation-of-priority>
<declaration-complete-translation-of-priority>
<declaration-no-intent-to-file-further-priority/>
</declaration-complete-translation-of-priority>
</ep-declaration>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name>ep-request.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="PRSR">
<applicant-file-name>Search results IT.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>PRSR-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="PRSR">
<applicant-file-name>Search results EP.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>PRSR-2.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no">
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-designated-states>
</ep-office-specific-data>
Application details – Biological Material
The EP1001 Biological Material section of the Application details tab is provided to enable applicants to enter all data concerning any biological materials relating to the application.
- Depositary institutions (name and address)
- Accession numbers
- References to patent description
- Receipts, authorisations and waivers as attached documents
ℹ️ Note
Sequence listings are attached in sub-tab Sequence listings.
Each deposit of biological material is imported from a <ep-biological-material> element inside section <ep-office-specific-data> in ep-request.xml. Below is a snippet showing the basic structure of a sample element <ep-biological-material> and the top-level elements in it:
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
…
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-declarations/>
<ep-biological-material id="bio1" num="CBS" dnum="Bio-123456">
<depositary>
CBS
<address>
<address-1>
Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, Netherlands, or,
P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, Netherlands
</address-1>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
</depositary>
<bio-accno>CBS-908070</bio-accno>
<bio-receipt will-be-filed-later="yes"/>
<bio-authorization will-be-filed-later="yes"/>
<bio-waiver>BIOM-WAIV-1.pdf</bio-waiver>
<ep-biological-material-reference>
<ep-bio-references-page>5</ep-bio-references-page>
<ep-bio-references-lines>245</ep-bio-references-lines>
</ep-biological-material-reference>
<bio-other-deposant>
TechInvent SA
34, place de la république
69008 Lyon
France
</bio-other-deposant>
<bio-restriction-to-expert/>
</ep-biological-material>
…
</ep-office-specific-data>
An <ep-biological-material> element must contain the following attributes:
id: internal ID name of the biological material deposit. This should aways start with“bio”, followed by its order no. of creation. E.g.:“bio1”for the first deposit.num: short name (abbreviated) of the depositary institution. E.g.:“CBS”.dnum: identification reference (i.e., name under which the deposit is listed in OLF2.0 GUI). This can be freely entered by the user filing. E.g.:“Bio-123456”.
The child elements in each <ep-biological-material> entry are listed below
<depositary>: This element must contain:- A text value indicating the short name of the depositary institution. E.g.:
“CBS”. - An
<address>child element indicating the full address of the referred institution. This must contain the following sub-elements:<address-1>: Full address of the institution. This may be followed by additional<address-2>and<address-3>elements if the address is to be split into multiple lines.<postcode>: Postal code (may be empty).<country>: 2-letter country code of the institution. This element must be present, even if its empty.
- A text value indicating the short name of the depositary institution. E.g.:
<!-- Example of address in depositary insitution -->
<depositary>
CBS
<address>
<address-1>
Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, Netherlands, or, P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, Netherlands
</address-1>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
</depositary>
<bio-accno>: Accession number for the deposit, e.g.:<bio-accno>CBS-908070</bio-accno><bio-receipt>: Indicates if a copy of the deposit receipt issued by the depositary institution is to be either attached with the submission or to be filed later:- Attached: indicated simply by a
<bio-receipt/>empty element with no attributes. - To be filed later: indicated by an empty element with a
will-be-filed-later="yes"attribute.
- Attached: indicated simply by a
<bio-authorization>: Indicates if an authorisation under Rule 31(1)(d) EPC is to be either attached with the submission or to be filed later:- Attached: indicated simply by a
<bio-authorization />empty element with no attributes. - To be filed later: indicated by an empty element with a
will-be-filed-later="yes"attribute.
- Attached: indicated simply by a
<bio-waiver>: If a waiver pursuant to Rule 33(2) is attached to the submission, this element must also be present and indicate the name of the attached file corresponding to said document as its value. E.g.:<bio-waiver>BIOM-WAIV-1.pdf</bio-waiver><ep-biological-material-reference>: If the depositary institution and accession no. / depositor's identification reference are indicated in the application documents, this element must be present with no value and the following required sub-elements. If there is no such reference, this section can be missing.<ep-bio-references-page>: Numeric value indicating the page(s) containing the reference.<ep-bio-references-lines>: Numeric value indicating the line(s) in the specified page(s) containing the reference.- E.g.:
<ep-biological-material-reference>
<ep-bio-references-page>5</ep-bio-references-page>
<ep-bio-references-lines>245</ep-bio-references-lines>
</ep-biological-material-reference>
<bio-other-deposant>: If the deposit is done by a person other than the applicant, this element must be present and have the full address of the deposant as its value. E.g.:
<bio-other-deposant>
TechInvent SA
34, place de la république
69008 Lyon
France
</bio-other-deposant>
See the examples provided below for more details about the structure of element <ep-biological-material> and its expected children elements / attributes for several scenarios.
Example: Deposit details provided, receipt and authorisation to be filed later
<ep-biological-material id="bio1" num="CBS" dnum="bio1-123456">
<depository>
CBS
<address>
<address-1>Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, Netherlands, or, P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, Netherlands</address-1>
<postcode/>
<country/>
</address>
</depository>
<bio-accno>CBS-908070</bio-accno>
<bio-receipt will-be-filed-later="yes"/>
<bio-authorization will-be-filed-later="yes"/>
<ep-biological-material-reference>
<ep-bio-references-page>2</ep-bio-references-page>
<ep-bio-references-lines>5</ep-bio-references-lines>
</ep-biological-material-reference>
<bio-other-deposant>
TechInvent SA
34, place de la republique
69008 Lyon
France
</bio-other-deposant>
<bio-restriction-to-expert/>
</ep-biological-material>
Example: Further details, documents attached
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ep-request>
<ep-office-specific-data>
<ep-biological-material id="bio1" num="CBS" dnum="bio1-123456"/>
<ep-biological-material id="bio2" num="ECACC" dnum="EUR-bio-080227">
<depository>ECACC</depository>
<bio-accno>ECACC-080227</bio-accno>
<bio-receipt>BIOM-RECEIPT-1.pdf</bio-receipt>
<bio-authorization>BIOM-AUTH-1.pdf</bio-authorization>
<bio-waiver>BIOM-WAIV-1.pdf</bio-waiver>
</ep-biological-material>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="BIOMRECEIPT">
<applicant-file-name>bio_receipt.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>BIOM-RECEIPT-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="BIOMAUTH">
<applicant-file-name>bio_authorisation.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>BIOM-AUTH-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="BIOMWAIV">
<applicant-file-name>bio_waiver.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>BIOM-WAIV-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
Application details - Sequence listings
If you file a sequence listing with an application using form EP1001, the sequence listing file must always be attached in computer-readable format in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.26. Only one sequence listing file can be attached, i.e. either a XML file or a ZIP file (containing only a single ST.26-compliant XML file inside).
Computer-readable sequence listings can be attached as the following file types:
- Sequence Listing in ST.26 (XML)
- document code = SEQLXML26
- EPO file name = SEQLXML26.xml
- Sequence Listing in ST.26 (ZIP)
- document code = SEQLZIP26
- EPO file name = SEQLZIP26.zip
Example: Sequence listing attached in XML format
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-sequence-listing quantity="0"/>
</check-list>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
<region>
<country>EP</country>
</region>
<extension-states/>
<validation-states/>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-declarations/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO">
<applicant-file-name>Claims.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECEPO-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SEQXML26">
<applicant-file-name>st26-annex-iii-sequence-listing-specimen2.xml</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SEQXML26.xml</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
</ep-office-specific-data>
Application details - Documents
The Documents tab in Form EP1001 offers various combinations for attaching documents. The choices depend on the languages that have been selected in the General information tab. For example, if the procedural language has been set to French and the language of the request to Italian, both the original in Italian and the translations of all documents into French must be supplied together with the application.
- The files containing the technical documents are referenced in both the application-body.xml file and the ep-request.xml file
- All other documents are referenced only in the ep-request.xml file.
⚠️ Important
All attached documents related to patent specifications must be Annex F compliant
ℹ️ Note
The list of standard document names required by the EPO can be found in Document codes and file types for EP1001
Specification
- Technical document(s) in EPO language (n PDF files). EPO language corresponds to the selected procedural language, i.e. English, French or German.
- XML attachments in EPO language (1 XML file)
- Original in non-EPO language (1 PDF file)
- Translation(s) of technical document(s) into EPO language (n PDF files)
- XML attachments translation into EPO language (1 XML file)
- Pre-conversion archive (ZIP)
Sequence listing
- Sequence listing in computer-readable XML or ZIP format
Additional documents Only PDF files are allowed
- General authorisation
- Specific authorisation
- Translation of priority documents
- Grounds for re-establishment of rights
- Electronic priority document (digitally signed)
- Search results required under Rule 141(1) EPC for previously filed application
- Other documents
For each document attached with the submission, a <ep-electronic-files> element inside section <ep-office-specific-data> must be present in ep-request.xml. An <ep-electronic-files> element must always contain the following attribute:
doc-type: standard EPO code identifying the document type. E.g.: SPECEPO (Single file specification in EPO language).
The child elements of each <ep-electronic-files> entry are listed below
<applicant-file-name>: Name of the file as originally uploaded by the applicant during the submission in OLF2.0. E.g.:<applicant-file-name>specs_document.pdf</applicant-file-name>. Note that, for the EP1001 request document itself (doc-type=”1001”) this element should always be empty.<epo-file-name>: Standard EPO file name corresponding to the type of provided document (please see Document codes and file types for EP1001 for a full list). E.g.:<epo-file-name>SPECNONEPO.pdf</epo-file-name>
Below is a snippet showing the basic structure of element <ep-electronic-files> for both the EP1001 request itself and an additional document (Specification in admissible non-EPO language) as examples:
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no">
…
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-declarations/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECNONEPO">
<applicant-file-name>_10 (1).pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECNONEPO.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
…
</ep-office-specific-data>
For each technical document provided with the submission (i.e., description, claims…), a reference to it must also appear inside the <application-body> element in the application-body.xml file. This reference must consist of one of the following XML elements depending on its type: <description>, <claims>, <abstract> or <drawings>. Said element must, in turn, contain a single <doc-page> child element including the following required attributes:
- id: Order no. of the priority claim in the list. E.g.:
“DESC1”for the first claim. - he: Height. E.g.:
“1” - wi: Width. E.g.:
“1” - type: File type. This should always be:
“pdf”. - file: EPO standard filename of the attached document. E.g., for a description, this should be
“SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf”. - ppf: No. of the first page (this will generally be
“1”). - ppl: No. of the last page. E.g.:
“30”. - pp: Total no. of pages in the document. E.g.:
“30”.
Below is an example corresponding to a reference to an attached Description document (<description>) in the application-body.xml file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE application-body
SYSTEM "ep-application-body-v1-7.dtd">
<application-body lang="en" dtd-version="1.7" country="EP">
<description>
<doc-page
id="DESC1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf"
ppf="1"
ppl="30"
pp="30"
/>
</description>
…
</application-body>
In addition to the aforementioned XML entries, section <check-list> in ep-request.xml must contain a child node for each of the provided technical documents (request, description, claims…) and for each additional document that are present in the submission. The table below list the possible child elements in that can figure in the <check-list> section depending on the provided documents and their expected contents:
| XML Element | Document type | Value and/or Attributes |
|---|---|---|
<cl-request> | EP1001 request (doc-type="1001") | This element is not mandatory (can be missing). If present, it should always be empty. |
<cl-description> | Description (doc-type="DESC") | Attributes: • page-count: Total no. of pages for description (e.g. "30")• pnt: Page no. in the attached file corresponding to 1st page of the description (e.g. "1")• ppl: Page no. in the attached file corresponding to last page of the description (e.g. "30") |
<cl-claims> | Claims (doc-type="CLMS") | Attributes: • page-count: Total no. of pages for claims • pnt: Page no. in the attached file corresponding to 1st page of the claims • ppl: Page no. in the attached file corresponding to last page of the claims • number-of-claims: No. of claims listed • number-claims-fee-calculation: No. of claims for which the applicant intends to pay (used for fee calculation). Set to "0" if you do not intend to pay for any claims with this application |
<cl-abstract> | Abstract (doc-type="ABST") | Attributes: • page-count: Total no. of pages for abstract • pnt: Page no. in the attached file corresponding to 1st page of the abstract • ppl: Page no. in the attached file corresponding to last page of the abstract |
<cl-drawings> (*) | Drawings (doc-type="DRAW") | Attributes: • page-count: Total no. of pages for drawings • pnt: Page no. in the attached file corresponding to 1st page of the drawings • ppl: Page no. in the attached file corresponding to last page of the drawings • fig-count: No. of figures included in the drawings (e.g. "2") |
<cl-sequence-listing> | Sequence listing ST.26 (doc-type="SEQXML26") | Attributes: • quantity: Total no. of sequences in the provided sequence listing (e.g. "5") |
<cl-other-document> | Any additional document | No attributes. Value should be the full name of the provided document (e.g. "Translation of priority documents") |
(*) If a drawings document is attached, an <figure-to-publish> element may follow the <check-list> section, containing a single <fig-number> sub-element indicating the no. of the figure of the drawings which should accompany the abstract when published.
Below is a snippet showing an example <check-list> section containing the required attributes for all technical documents that can be included in the EP1001 request, as well as the <figure-to-publish> additional element corresponding to the <cl-drawings> entry:
…
</parties>
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="30"
ppf="1"
ppl="30"
/>
<cl-claims
page-count="37"
ppf="31"
ppl="67"
number-of-claims="6"
number-claims-fee-calculation="6"
/>
<cl-abstract
page-count="23"
ppf="68"
ppl="90"
/>
<cl-drawings
page-count="12"
ppf="91"
ppl="102"
fig-count="2"
/>
</check-list>
<figure-to-publish>
<fig-number>2</fig-number>
</figure-to-publish>
…
See the example scenarios provided below for more details about the structure of the above elements for several possible cases.
Example: Request in English, technical documents in one PDF file
In this example, the technical documents in English are attached in one PDF file, and the claims will be filed later (i.e., element <declaration-intention-to-file-claims-later/> is present in section <ep-declarations>).
ep-request.xml
<parties>
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="7"
ppf="1"
ppl="7"
/>
<cl-abstract
page-count="1"
ppf="8"
ppl="8"
/>
<cl-drawings
page-count="2"
ppf="9"
ppl="10"
fig-count="5"
/>
</check-list>
<figure-to-publish>
<fig-number>3c</fig-number>
</figure-to-publish>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"
>
<ep-declarations>
<declaration-intention-to-file-claims-later/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO">
<applicant-file-name>Instant Water.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECEPO-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data
curr="EUR"
fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"
/>
</ep-designated-states>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</parties>
ℹ️ Note
Please note that, if the user chooses to file a translation for the attached/previously filed application at a later point (i.e., if element
<declaration-translation-filed-later/>is present in section<ep-declarations>), none of the following documents should be added to the submission:
- SPECTRANEPO-1.PDF
- SPECTRANEPO.DOCX
- PDFBACKUP-1.PDF
application-body.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE application-body
SYSTEM "ep-application-body-v1-7.dtd">
<application-body lang="en" dtd-version="1.7" country="EP">
<description>
<doc-page
id="DESC1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECEPO-1.pdf"
ppf="1"
ppl="7"
pp="7"
/>
</description>
<claims>
<doc-page
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
pp=""
ppf=""
ppl=""
file=""
/>
</claims>
<abstract>
<doc-page
id="ABST1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECEPO-1.pdf"
ppf="8"
ppl="8"
pp="1"
/>
</abstract>
<drawings>
<doc-page
id="DRAW1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECEPO-1.pdf"
ppf="9"
ppl="10"
pp="2"
/>
</drawings>
</application-body>
Example: Request in English, technical documents in multiple PDF files
In this example, description, claims, abstracts and drawings have been attached one by one as separate PDF files.
ep-request.xml
<parties>
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="7"
ppf="1"
ppl="7"
/>
<cl-claims
page-count="4"
ppf="1"
ppl="4"
number-of-claims="25"
number-claims-fee-calculation="15"
/>
<cl-abstract
page-count="2"
ppf="1"
ppl="2"
/>
<cl-drawings
page-count="1"
ppf="1"
ppl="1"
fig-count="2"
/>
</check-list>
<figure-to-publish>
<fig-number>2</fig-number>
</figure-to-publish>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"
>
<ep-declarations/>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO">
<applicant-file-name>
Instant Water description.pdf
</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECEPO-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO">
<applicant-file-name>
Instant Water claims.pdf
</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECEPO-2.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO">
<applicant-file-name>
Instant Water abstract.pdf
</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECEPO-3.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO">
<applicant-file-name>
Instant Water drawings.pdf
</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECEPO-4.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data
curr="EUR"
fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"
/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</parties>
application-body.xml
Note that only the id element in the <doc-page> elements specifies in which of the attached files and at which position the description, claims, abstract and drawings are exactly located.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE application-body
SYSTEM "ep-application-body-v1-7.dtd">
<application-body lang="en" dtd-version="1.7" country="EP">
<description>
<doc-page
id="DESC1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECEPO-1.pdf"
ppf="1"
ppl="7"
pp="7"
/>
</description>
<claims>
<doc-page
id="CLMS1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECEPO-2.pdf"
ppf="1"
ppl="4"
pp="4"
/>
</claims>
<abstract>
<doc-page
id="ABST1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECEPO-3.pdf"
ppf="1"
ppl="2"
pp="2"
/>
</abstract>
<drawings>
<doc-page
id="DRAW1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECEPO-4.pdf"
ppf="1"
ppl="1"
pp="1"
/>
</drawings>
</application-body>
Example: Request in admissible non-official EPO language
The technical documents in Italian for this example have been attached in PDF format. This file contains the description, claims and abstract. An extra PDF file has been attached for the drawings in Italian.
The translations into French for both specification file (description, claims and abstract) and drawings file, have also been attached in PDF format.
ep-request.xml
<parties>
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="5"
ppf="1"
ppl="5"
/>
<cl-claims
page-count="2"
ppf="6"
ppl="7"
number-of-claims="21"
number-claims-fee-calculation="15"
/>
<cl-abstract
page-count="1"
ppf="8"
ppl="8"
/>
<cl-drawings
page-count="1"
ppf="1"
ppl="1"
fig-count=""
/>
</check-list>
<figure-to-publish>
<fig-number>1</fig-number>
</figure-to-publish>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="non-epo">it</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="translation">fr</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="fr">
<ep-designated-states
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"
>
<ep-request-for-exam-art94 lang="it"/>
<ep-declarations>
<declaration-intention-to-file-claims-later/>
</ep-declarations>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="DRAWNONEPO">
<applicant-file-name>
Acqua instantanea disegno.pdf
</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>DRAWNONEPO.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECTRANEPO">
<applicant-file-name>
Eau instantane dessin.pdf
</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECNONEPO">
<applicant-file-name>
Acqua instantanea.pdf
</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECNONEPO.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECTRANEPO">
<applicant-file-name>
Eau instantane.pdf
</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECTRANEPO-2.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data
curr="EUR"
fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"
/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</parties>
application-body.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE application-body
SYSTEM "ep-application-body-v1-7.dtd">
<application-body lang="en" dtd-version="1.7" country="EP">
<description>
<doc-page
id="DESC1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECTRANEPO-2.pdf"
ppf="5"
ppl="1"
pp="5"
/>
</description>
<claims>
<doc-page
id="CLMS1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECTRANEPO-2.pdf"
ppf="6"
ppl="7"
pp="2"
/>
</claims>
<abstract>
<doc-page
id="ABST1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECTRANEPO-2.pdf"
ppf="8"
ppl="8"
pp="1"
/>
</abstract>
<drawings>
<doc-page
id="DRAW1"
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file="SPECTRANEPO-1.pdf"
ppf="1"
ppl="1"
pp="1"
/>
</drawings>
</application-body>
Example: Additional documents
Several additional documents are attached in this example to show the different document types. The technical documents have been attached in four separate PDF files.
ep-request.xml
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="20"
ppf="1"
ppl="20"
/>
<cl-claims
page-count="33"
ppf="21"
ppl="53"
number-of-claims="25"
number-claims-fee-calculation="15"
/>
<cl-other-document>Specific Authorisation</cl-other-document>
<cl-other-document>General authorisation</cl-other-document>
<cl-other-document>Translation of priority documents</cl-other-document>
<cl-other-document>Grounds for Re establishment of Rights</cl-other-document>
<cl-other-document>Inventor waiver - Rule 20(1) EPC</cl-other-document>
<cl-other-document>OTHER-1.pdf</cl-other-document>
</check-list>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"
>
<ep-declarations/>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1003">
<applicant-file-name>Authorisation Portland.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECAUTH-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1004">
<applicant-file-name>Authorisation Nano.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>GENAUTH-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="PRIOTRAN">
<applicant-file-name>Translation priority.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>PRIOTRAN-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="REESGROUNDS">
<applicant-file-name>Grounds reestablishment.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>REESGROUNDS.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="INVT201">
<applicant-file-name>Waiver rule 20.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>Signed-EPR201.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="OTHERPDF">
<applicant-file-name>Assignment documents.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>OTHER-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data
curr="EUR"
fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"
/>
</ep-office-specific-data>
EP1001 – Fees
The Fees tab in Form EP1001 allows applicants to enter payment details for fees charged by the EPO. The fee selection is set automatically by the OLF2.0 application; users can also select additional fees manually.
ℹ️ Note
You can retrieve the most recent fee schedule from the EPO website under the interactive schedule of fees.
Please note that some of the fees may be enabled or blocked by OLF2.0 for the submission depending on certain conditions and/or values set by the user in the General Information, Documents and/or other tabs:
-
Fee 13: Can only be added for payment if the submission includes a declaration of priority of a national application with a filing date between 14-12 months before the current date, as well as a request for re-establishment of rights (Article 122 EPC, Rule 136(1) EPC) in respect of the priority period (Article 87(1) EPC). I.e., the following XML elements must be present in ep-request.xml:
- An
<ep-priority-claim>entry must appear under XML section<priority-claims>, referring to the national application. The value in the<date>child element inside<ep-priority-claim>must meet the condition previously described for the filing date. - Element
<request-re-establishment>must be present under XML section<ep-declarations>. It must contain a<document-id>entry with children<country>and<doc-number>matching the values of the previous declaration of priority.
The example snippet below illustrates the relevant sections required before fee 13 can be included as a fee to be paid in the submission (considering a current date of 08-05-2024):
- An
<ep-request
lang="en"
dtd-version="1.0"
produced-by="applicant"
ro="EP"
date-produced=""
>
<file-reference-id>1001_reestablishment</file-reference-id>
<request-petition>
Grant of European patent, and examination of the application under
Article 94, are hereby requested.
</request-petition>
<invention-title lang="en">Title English</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="fr">Title French</invention-title>
<invention-title lang="de">Title German</invention-title>
<parties>
…
</parties>
<priority-claims>
<ep-priority-claim
sequence="1"
kind="national"
ep-document-type="patent"
>
<country>BR</country>
<doc-number>20202020.2</doc-number>
<date>20230401</date>
<priority-doc-from-library/>
<earlier-searches>
<earlier-search
search-type="national"
id="ID_1"
office="BR"
declaration-of-no-search="not-determined"
>
<doc-page
he="1"
wi="1"
type="pdf"
file=""
/>
</earlier-search>
</earlier-searches>
</ep-priority-claim>
</priority-claims>
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="1"
ppf="1"
ppl="1"
/>
</check-list>
<figure-to-publish>
<fig-number>1</fig-number>
</figure-to-publish>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"
>
…
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-declarations>
<request-re-establishment>
<document-id lang="">
<country>BR</country>
<doc-number>20202020.2</doc-number>
</document-id>
</request-re-establishment>
<declaration-no-intention-to-file-further-priority/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001">
<applicant-file-name/>
<epo-file-name>ep-request.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO">
<applicant-file-name>specs.pdf</applicant-file-name>
<epo-file-name>SPECEPO-1.pdf</epo-file-name>
</ep-electronic-files>
…
<ep-financial-data
curr="EUR"
fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"
>
…
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
- Fee 15: Can only be added for payment if both the no. of claims submitted and to be paid are greater than 15 but less than 51. I.e., the numeric attributes in elements
<cl-claims>in XML section<check-list>inep-request.xmlmust be set as follows:number-claims-fee-calculation: Value must be between 16 and 50.number-of-claimsValue must be greater or equal thannumber-claims-fee-calculation.
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="2"
ppf="1"
ppl="2"
/>
<cl-claims
page-count="2"
ppf="3"
ppl="4"
number-of-claims="24"
number-claims-fee-calculation="18"
/>
</check-list>
- Fee 15e: Similarly to fee 15, can only be added for payment if both the no. of claims submitted and to be paid exceed 50. I.e., attributes in element
<cl-claims>in XML section<check-list>inep-request.xmlmust be set as follows:number-claims-fee-calculation: Value must be greater than 50number-of-claims: Value must be greater or equal thannumber-claims-fee-calculation.
- Fee 501: Can only be added for payment if an application document is being submitted AND the total no. of pages in the attached application documents exceeds 36. I.e., the sum of the values of all attributes page-count in XML section
<check-list>inep-request.xmlmust be greater than 36. E.g.:
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="19"
ppf="1"
ppl="19"
/>
<cl-claims
page-count="34"
ppf="20"
ppl="53"
number-of-claims="24"
number-claims-fee-calculation="18"
/>
</check-list>
The global information about fee payment is imported from section <ep-financial-data> inside <ep-office-specific-data>. This root <ep-financial-data> element must contain the following attributes:
curr: currency for fee payment. This is always“EUR”by default.fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user: this needs to be set to“no”, so that the fees are checked and updated/corrected by OLF2.0. Note that, if set to“yes”in the importedep-request.xmlfile, the system will revert to“no”upon successful importation.
The root <ep-financial-data> XML element should be followed by the following child elements:
| XML Element | Description, attributes and sub-elements |
|---|---|
<mode-of-payment> | Element containing the details of the chosen mode of fee payment. Not mandatory for importation. |
<reimbursement> | (only present when providing refund instructions) Element with a single attribute accno, containing the date of fee schedule validity (in yyyyMMdd format), and the full name of the account holder as value. Example: <reimbursement accno="28123456">John Smith</reimbursement> |
<sr-refund> | (only when providing refund instructions) When requesting refund of search fee (Article 9(2) RFees), this element should be present and contain the application number to which the search report corresponds. Not mandatory for importation nor submission. Example: <sr-refund>EP1000000</sr-refund> |
<add-copies> | (only when providing refund instructions) Element indicating the number of additional copies of the documents cited in the EP search report. Example: <add-copies>3</add-copies>Please note: although this element is optional and can be entirely missing from the XML file when not required, it must have a value if it is present (i.e. this cannot be an empty element). |
<fees> | This section must be always present. The <fees> element must include a single attribute date, containing the date of fee schedule validity (in yyyyMMdd format) plus the following sub-elements:• <standard-fees>: contains a set of <fee> elements, each one indicating the details of one of the applicable standard fees for EP1001. This section must be always present.• <fee-total-amount>: element containing a numeric value indicating the total amount to be paid for all selected fees and in the selected currency.Example: <fee-total-amount>2842.5</fee-total-amount> |
Below is a basic example showing the general structure of element <ep-financial-data> in ep-request.xml and the top-level sub-elements in it:
<ep-request
lang="en"
dtd-version="1.0"
produced-by="applicant"
ro="EP"
date-produced="20240122 11:19:17"
>
…
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
…
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no">
<mode-of-payment
accno="28555555"
mode-type="deposit"
currency="EUR"
deferred-execution-date="20231130"
>
Account holder
</mode-of-payment>
<fees date="20231114">
<standard-fee>
<fee index="1" topay="yes">
<type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee>
<fee-factor>0.7</fee-factor>
<fee-schedule>94.50</fee-schedule>
<fee-sub-amount>135.00</fee-sub-amount>
<fee-reduction-factor>0.30</fee-reduction-factor>
</fee>
…
</standard-fee>
<fee-total-amount>2842.5</fee-total-amount>
</fees>
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>
Payment details
Information regarding the payment details is imported from the <mode-of-payment> XML element under <ep-financial-data> in ep-request.xml. This element must contain the following attributes:
accno: when using mode-type“auto”or“deposit”(see below), this must be set to the number of EPO deposit account to be used. E.g.:"28123456"mode-type: selected mode of payment. Can be one of the following values depending on the chosen option:“auto”: Automatic debit order.“deposit”: Debit from deposit account.“bank”: Bank transfer.“ccard”: Credit card.currency: currency for fee payment. This is always“EUR”by defaultdeferred-execution-date: when requesting a deferred date of payment execution, this attribute must be present and have said date in yyyyMMdd format as value.
ℹ️ Note
In addition to the applicable attributes described above, the element should also contain the full name of the account/card holder to be used for payment as its value.
Below is a snippet showing the basic structure of element <mode-of-payment>:
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
…
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SOME_TYPE">
…
</ep-electronic-files>
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no">
<mode-of-payment
accno="28555555"
mode-type="deposit"
currency="EUR"
deferred-execution-date="20231130"
>
Account holder
</mode-of-payment>
<fees date="20231114">
…
</fees>
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
Note that, in the OLF2.0 GUI, there are different options for the mode of payment. If automatic debit order is selected, the sub-tabs for selection of individual fees (e.g., Procedural fees) will not display any options. Likewise, the PDF form does not contain any fee lists. Nevertheless, the fees will be included in the XML data. The example below demonstrates the data for payment by debit from deposit account.
ep-request.xml
- The
accnoattribute in the<mode-of-payment>element can be used for both the client's account number (payment by debit from deposit account or automatic debit order is indicated) and the IBAN code of the EPO's bank account number (payment by bank transfer is indicated). - The
deferred-execution-dateattribute in the<mode-of-payment>element can either be set to an empty value or be omitted if the import file should not specify a deferred execution date. OLF2.0 sets the attribute asdeferred-execution-date=""if no date has been entered in the GUI.
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"
>
<ep-request-for-exam-art94 lang="it"/>
<ep-declarations>
<declaration-no-intention-to-file-further-priority/>
<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/>
</ep-declarations>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECNONEPO"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECTRANEPO"/>
<ep-financial-data
curr="EUR"
fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"
>
<mode-of-payment
accno="28123456"
mode-type="deposit"
currency="EUR"
deferred-execution-date="20240620"
>
Salvatore Manzoni
</mode-of-payment>
<reimbursement accno="28102030">
Luigi Manzoni
</reimbursement>
<sr-refund>SR-EP1120304</sr-refund>
<fees date="20240515"/>
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
Standard fee amounts
Information regarding the applicable EP1001 standard fees is imported from the <standard-fee> XML element under <fees> in ep-request.xml.
⚠️ Important
If you intend to pay for any of the specific fees applicable to form EP1001 (or want to be able to select/de-select it from the Fees tab in the GUI at a later point before filing), a
<fee>element for it must be present under<standard-fee>. Otherwise, the fee will not be selected for payment, and you will not be able to select it on the draft submission using the GUI.
Each <fee> element must contain the following attributes:
index: index no. of the corresponding applicable fee, as it appears on the Fees tab in OLF2.0. Note that any zeroes on the left should not be included. E.g.:"1"for fee 001,“5e”, for fee 005e,“401”for fee 401, etc.topay: yes/no value indicating if the corresponding fee is intended to be paid (“yes”) or not (“no”).
Each <fee> element must contain the following XML child elements:
| XML Element | Description, attributes and sub-elements |
|---|---|
<type-of-fee> | Indicates the type of fee. This should always have the value standard.Example: <type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee> |
<fee-factor> | Indicates the factor (from 0 to 1, corresponding to a 0–100% percentage) in which the fee will be paid, according to the specified quantity and applicable reduction factor. I.e., this value should be equal to: quantity (i.e., number of fees as indicated in GUI) × <fee-reduction-factor> (from 0 to 1).Example: For a quantity of 2 and a reduction of 30% (0.3), this value should be 1.4. If the fee is not selected for payment ( topay="no"), this element can be empty.Note: when applying reductions using fixed amounts in the currency (€), this element can have a negative value. |
<fee-schedule> | Indicates the amount to pay for the total quantity of the specified fee, after applying reductions. I.e., this value should be equal to: <fee-sub-amount> × quantity (i.e., number of fees as indicated in GUI) × <fee-reduction-factor> (from 0 to 1).Example: 94.50 |
<fee-sub-amount> | Indicates the base amount for the fee according to the current fee schedule (i.e., not taking reductions into account). Example: 135.00If the fee is not selected for payment ( topay="no"), this element can be empty. |
<fee-reduction-factor> | Indicates the reduction factor (from 0 to 1, corresponding to a 0–100% percentage) for the fee, when applicable. Example: 0.30This element can be left empty if the fee is not selected for payment ( topay="no") or for a default value of 0. |
⚠️ Important
The
<fee-schedule>element is used for the (calculated) fee amount and the<fee-sub-amount>element contains the fee schedule (for one single fee).Use the
<fee-reduction-factor>element to indicate a fee reduction on a fixed or percentage basis. The default value is 0.Use the
<fee-reduction-amount>element to indicate a fee reduction on an amount basis. E.g.: to apply a reduction of 500€ (for EUR currency), this element should be present and set to 500.
Below is a snippet showing the basic structure of element <standard-fee> that includes a <fee> entry for procedural fee 001 (i.e., Filing fee - EP direct - online) applicable to form EP1001:
<ep-financial-data curr="EUR" fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no">
<mode-of-payment
accno="28555555"
mode-type="deposit"
currency="EUR"
deferred-execution-date="20231130"
>
Account holder
</mode-of-payment>
<fees date="20231114">
<standard-fee>
<fee index="1" topay="yes">
<type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee>
<fee-factor>0.7</fee-factor>
<fee-schedule>94.50</fee-schedule>
<fee-sub-amount>135.00</fee-sub-amount>
<fee-reduction-factor>0.30</fee-reduction-factor>
</fee>
…
</standard-fee>
<fee-total-amount>2842.5</fee-total-amount>
</fees>
</ep-financial-data>
Please see the example provided below for further details:
ep-request.xml
All the fees applicable to this procedure are listed in full by default in the XML file. The attribute topay in the <fee> element takes the value “yes” if this specific fee has been selected.
Please note:
- The number of claims can be found in the
number-of-claimsattribute in the<cl-claims>element. - The number of claims you intend to pay for (including first 15 claims) is reflected in the
number-claims-fee-calculationattribute in the same<cl-claims>element.
This value is used for the fee calculation. Please set the value to 0 (zero) if you do not intend to pay for any claims with this application.
<check-list>
<cl-request/>
<cl-description
page-count="20"
ppf="1"
ppl="20"
/>
<cl-claims
page-count="20"
ppf="21"
ppl="40"
number-of-claims="20"
number-claims-fee-calculation="20"
/>
<cl-abstract
page-count="13"
ppf="41"
ppl="53"
/>
</check-list>
<figure-to-publish/>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="epo">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"
>
<ep-declarations/>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECEPO"/>
<ep-financial-data
curr="EUR"
fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"
>
<mode-of-payment
accno="28123456"
mode-type="deposit"
currency="EUR"
deferred-execution-date="20240615"
>
Salvatore Manzoni
</mode-of-payment>
<fees date="20240515">
<standard-fee>
<fee index="1" topay="yes">
<type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee>
<fee-factor>1</fee-factor>
<fee-schedule>135.00</fee-schedule>
<fee-sub-amount>135.00</fee-sub-amount>
<fee-reduction-factor>0</fee-reduction-factor>
</fee>
<fee index="2" topay="yes">
<type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee>
<fee-factor>1</fee-factor>
<fee-schedule>1520.00</fee-schedule>
<fee-sub-amount>1520.00</fee-sub-amount>
<fee-reduction-factor>0</fee-reduction-factor>
</fee>
<fee index="5e" topay="no"/>
<fee index="6" topay="no"/>
<fee index="13" topay="no"/>
<fee index="15" topay="yes">
<type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee>
<fee-factor>5</fee-factor>
<fee-schedule>1375.00</fee-schedule>
<fee-sub-amount>275.00</fee-sub-amount>
<fee-reduction-factor/>
</fee>
<fee index="15e" topay="no"/>
<fee index="501" topay="yes">
<type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee>
<fee-factor>18</fee-factor>
<fee-schedule>306.00</fee-schedule>
<fee-sub-amount>17.00</fee-sub-amount>
<fee-reduction-factor>0</fee-reduction-factor>
</fee>
<fee index="552" topay="no"/>
<fee index="553" topay="no"/>
<fee index="554" topay="no"/>
<fee index="555" topay="no"/>
</standard-fee>
<fee-total-amount>3336.0</fee-total-amount>
</fees>
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
Example: Reduced fee amounts (declaration under Rule7a(1))
This example demonstrates how to apply a 30% fee reduction in the filing fees where the applicant(s) make a declaration under Rule 7a(1) EPC.
In addition, the selection of fees for a divisional application is shown
ep-request.xml
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="non-epo">it</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-language-of-filing lang-code="translation">en</ep-language-of-filing>
<ep-office-specific-data office="EP" lang="en">
<ep-designated-states
waiver-communication-and-processing-of-non-designated-states="no"
>
<ep-divisional-appl>
<parent-doc/>
<ep-first-communication-raising-lack-of-unity/>
<ep-divisional-generation generation="4"/>
</ep-divisional-appl>
<ep-request-for-exam-art94 lang="it"/>
</ep-designated-states>
<ep-declarations>
<declaration-no-intention-to-file-further-priority/>
<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/>
</ep-declarations>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="1001"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECNONEPO"/>
<ep-electronic-files doc-type="SPECTRANEPO"/>
<ep-financial-data
curr="EUR"
fee-amounts-unlocked-by-user="no"
>
<mode-of-payment
accno="DE20 7008 0000 0333 880000"
mode-type="bank"
currency="EUR"
>
DE
</mode-of-payment>
<fees date="20240515">
<standard-fee>
<fee index="1" topay="yes">
<type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee>
<fee-factor>0.7</fee-factor>
<fee-schedule>94.50</fee-schedule>
<fee-sub-amount>135.00</fee-sub-amount>
<fee-reduction-factor>0.30</fee-reduction-factor>
</fee>
<fee index="2" topay="yes"/>
<fee index="554" topay="yes">
<type-of-fee>standard</type-of-fee>
<fee-factor>0.7</fee-factor>
<fee-schedule>500.50</fee-schedule>
<fee-sub-amount>715.00</fee-sub-amount>
<fee-reduction-factor>0.30</fee-reduction-factor>
</fee>
<fee index="555" topay="no"/>
</standard-fee>
<fee-total-amount>2115.0</fee-total-amount>
</fees>
</ep-financial-data>
</ep-office-specific-data>
ℹ️ Note
The
<fee-schedule>element is used for the (calculated) fee amount and the<fee-sub-amount>element contains the fee schedule (for one single fee). Use the<fee-reduction-factor>element to indicate a fee reduction on a fixed or percentage basis. Use the<fee-reduction-amount>element to indicate a fee reduction on an amount basis.
Importing the correct fee amounts depending on the date of filing
If importing XML files, the most recent fee schedule is automatically applied to the XML code by the OLF2.0 system. Thus, it is not necessary to add all <fee> elements with the correct values in the <fee-sub-amount> and <fee-schedule> elements in the XML file. Only the fees to be paid must be included in the XML file with the respective index attribute and the attribute value topay="yes".
The <fee-total-amount> element will be automatically added by OLF2.0 during import, also calculating the correct value.
ℹ️ Note
To have the automatic correction apply the 30% reduction rate, the
<declaration-of-entity-or-natural-person/>element must be present.
EP1001 – Annotations to EPO
At the end of the <ep-office-specific-data> section (right after closure of the <ep-financial-data> section corresponding to fee payment details), one or more <ep-notes-to-EPO> elements can be included, each one containing Annotations to send additional information to the EPO. The number of annotations is unlimited.
ℹ️ Note
If no annotations are to be included in the submission (as they are entirely optional), no
<ep-notes-to-EPO>elements should be present in theep-request.xmlfile.
The root element for each annotation (<ep-notes-to-EPO>) must contain the following attributes:
page: fixed string value“Annotate”.id: a“note#”string where # is a number representing the order of creation of the current note (i.e.:note1for the firstly note created, thennote2,note3and so on). E.g.:<ep-notes-to-EPO page="Annotate" id="note1">
The table below lists the child XML elements that must appear under each <ep-notes-to-EPO> entry:
| XML Element | Description and attributes |
|---|---|
<author> | Full name (first + last name) of the user authoring the annotation. |
<subject> | Subject of the annotation. |
<date> | Date in which the annotation was created, in yyyyMMdd format. Note that this value is not shown in the request PDF for EP1001. |
<dtext> | Text contents of the annotation. |
The example below shows how two annotations created on the same day by two different users are stored in the ep-request.xml file:
<ep-office-specific-data>
…
<ep-notes-to-EPO page="Annotate" id="note1">
<author>Salvatore Manzoni</author>
<subject>Account information</subject>
<date>20130127</date>
<dtext>
Payment details may be changed at a later date.
</dtext>
</ep-notes-to-EPO>
<ep-notes-to-EPO page="Annotate" id="note2">
<author>Luigi Manzoni</author>
<subject>General authorisation.</subject>
<date>20130127</date>
<dtext>
My father, Salvatore Manzoni, is going to issue a general authorisation
for me in order to represent him in all respects.
</dtext>
</ep-notes-to-EPO>
</ep-office-specific-data>
</ep-request>