WIREDGOV

A pilot scheme launched on 1^st April 2007 means that European patent applications made through the Utilisation Pilot Project will be processed more quickly.  This will result in Extended European Search Reports (EESR) being issued between 3-6 months from the date of request.

The scheme will be open to all applicants wishing to file a European patent application claiming priority from a searched application. The aim of the pilot is to assess the benefit to be gained by the European Patent Office (EPO) in having access to work already undertaken by national patent offices.  The pilot forms part of the strategy for developing a more efficient European Patent Network for the benefit of patent applicants.

Sean Dennehey, Director of Patents said:

"I am very pleased that the UK Intellectual Property Office is playing a leading role in this project. We very much hope it will lead to significant benefits for users of the patents system here and abroad".

The 12 month project is also being trialed by the Austrian, Danish and German patent offices.

Editor Note

• Applicants wishing to file a European Patent application as part of the pilot should do so by requesting a Form F1007 from upp@ipa.gov.uk. This form will include classification information applied by the patent examiner not currently available on our search reports, and will be returned by email within 1 day of request. This form, together with the search report, the covering letter and any written opinion issued by the patent examiner, should be submitted together with the European application documentation in the usual way, e.g. specification, Form 1001, etc. We recommend that applicants consider the results of the search report to restrict the scope of their claims as this can lead to a reduction in the workload of the EPO. Any changes made to the claims before filing the European application should be submitted as a separate document of marked-up changes.

• Applicants should be aware that any additional documents submitted as part of the pilot, e.g. the national patent office search report, written opinion or marked-up changes, will be used for the pilot project only. The documents will be scanned into the EPO’s electronic filing system but will remain confidential in the non-public part of the dossier.

• The pilot will evaluate whether the use of search reports carried out by national patent offices can provide cost, quality and efficiency benefits to the whole of the European Patent System. The pilot will allow the EPO to take value from searches already carried out by national patent offices as a way of characterizing the applicant’s invention and minimizing duplicated effort. In return, this should lead to time savings and increased efficiency at the EPO, which should benefit applicants by way of faster handling and improved quality.

• For further detail regarding the project or how to be part of the pilot then please refer to the Patent Office website at http://www.ipo.gov.uk/abroad/abroad-patenteurope/abroad-patenteurope-upp.htm

• PCT applications will not be included as part of the pilot project.

• Last year 900 applications were made in this way