DOCX filing

The re-engineered patent process requires a
publication-ready, full-text technical specification to be made available at
the point of filing. This becomes possible if applications are filed in DOCX OOXML
format – a format that is already being used by the vast majority of our users
to compile technical specifications. The benefit of this file format is that it
is both human- and machine-readable. Filing in DOCX
OOXML format will be a major step towards
facilitating the filing of documents for users and avoiding the quality losses
and costs of optical character recognition.

As of April 2018, the EPO intends to enable users
of its online services to file technical specifications and subsequently filed
documents (SFDs) directly as DOCX files. In most cases, this will eliminate the
need for users to convert DOCX files to PDF format before filing with the EPO.

A pilot project will run from 1 December 2017 until
31 March 2018. The conditions of this project will be published on the EPO
website before it goes live. The feedback received will provide a basis for
further improvements to the electronic tools.

Users wishing to
indicate their interest in participating in the pilot project are requested to register
with the EPO by filling in the registration form below.