The EPO examines European patent applications in a centralised procedure for the countries which are party to the European Patent Convention (EPC). European patents currently protect technical inventions in up to 36 European countries. The EPO´s headquarters are in Munich and it has branch offices in The Hague, Berlin and Vienna. With a staff of over 6,500 employees, the EPO is one of the largest international institutions in the world. It is a model international public service organisation and an outstanding example of successful cooperation among European countries.
Thanks to the EPC, inventors can obtain patent protection in as many contracting states as they wish by filling a single patent application in one of its three official languages (English, German or French).
Every application for a European patent is subjected to in-depth high quality search and rigorous examination to guarantee that it meets the stringent requirements of the EPC and that patents are granted only for genuine technical inventions that deserve protection.
For more information, please visit www.epo.org