The EPO provides high-quality patents and efficient services that foster innovation, competitiveness and economic growth.

Discover the potential of the EPO’s legal patent information: find out if and where a patent has been granted, if it is valid, if there is still time to challenge it and much more.

For automated data retrieval, please use the EPO's Open Patent Services (OPS). Conditions Espacenet is available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The European Patent Office (EPO) examines European patent applications, enabling inventors, researchers and companies from around the world to obtain protection for their inventions in up to 45 countries through a centralised and uniform procedure that requires just one application.

Unitary Patents make it possible to get patent protection in up to 18 EU Member States by submitting a single request to the EPO, making the procedure simpler and more cost effective for applicants.

Applicants seeking worldwide patent protection may use the services of the EPO under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). PCT applications may be filed, searched and examined at the EPO.

The EPO grants a European patent after centralised examination of the European patent application, saving inventors and innovating companies the cost of filing national patent applications with the national offices of EPC contracting states while ensuring the high quality of the patents granted.

You can use our web-based services to file EP, Euro-PCT and PCT applications and requests for unitary effect; and submissions in opposition, appeal, limitation and revocation proceedings before the EPO.

The EPO monitors the three main patent data streams (bibliographic, facsimile images and full text) at key stages in their life cycles to ensure that they are complete, consistent, accurate and up to date. See the useful tables

2021年7月5日 · We invest in a data-driven and fully digitalised EPO to build an engaged, knowledgeable and collaborative organisation. We gain deep understanding of stakeholders' priorities and embed their feedback into a continuous delivery cycle to create tools that offer an optimal user experience.