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Updated Patent Examination Guidelines Enter Force

The European Patent Office has updated the EPC Guidelines, PCT-EPO Guidelines, and Unitary Patent Guidelines, effective 1 April 2026. The European Patent Guide and Euro-PCT Guide are being discontinued with content integrated into the Guidelines; they remain available until 31 May 2026. A public consultation on the 2026 editions is open until 3 April 2026.

eSACEPO Digital Patent Process Meeting Highlights

The European Patent Office's 11th eSACEPO Working Party meeting on March 24, 2026 discussed progress toward a fully digitalized, paperless patent granting process (PGP) by 2027. Key updates include MyEPO platform enhancements, end-to-end DOCX filing launching April 1, 2026, and AI integration with human oversight. Electronic filing will become the default standard with paper filings limited to exceptional cases.

EPO President meets key EU partners in Brussels

EPO President António Campinos visited Brussels from March 23-25, 2026, to strengthen cooperation with key EU partners including European Commissioner Michael McGrath and EISMEA Director Momchil Sabev. The mission featured discussions on the EPO Technology Dashboard 2025, patent intelligence supporting innovation policy, and collaboration with the European Innovation Council for startup support.

Results of EQE paper F 2026 available

EQE paper F, 650 candidates, 530 passed, 84%

EPO adopts new broad claims, double patenting practices

EPO adopts new broad claims, double patenting practices

EPO meets German IP experts, Munich, 25th Mar

EPO meets German IP experts, Munich, 25th Mar

EPO launches DOCX filing for all users

EPO launches DOCX filing for all users