Aug. 2020 - Legal event data: Addition of EP appeal data

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Aug. 2020 - Legal event data: Addition of EP appeal data

Post by EPO / Patent Data Services » Wed Aug 12, 2020 11:01 am

We are pleased to inform you that 56 legal event codes related to EP Appeals have been added to the INPADOC database.

The events of the front file have now been added and the back file data will be processed in due course.

Background information:

So far, the primary source of EP procedural data for the INPADOC service has been the 'EP procedural data (EBD)' product, which makes data listed in Rule 143 EPC available.

Due to the nature of EBD data as the primary source, some pieces of information related to the EP application and granting procedure, e.g. data on appeal and third party observations have not been available.

To meet the growing need for EP procedural data in the INPADOC database, the EPO has started to integrate further EP procedural data in addition to EBD data. For this purpose, the EPO accesses a source of EP procedural data that is also used by European Patent Register and for the European Patent Register data backfile.

To keep the data consistent with similar information available via European Patent Register, INPADOC legal event data on appeals will include the INPADOC event description and the original event description used in European Patent Register. It will also include in the free text the original event code of the underlying data source.

The intention to keep the data consistent with European Patent Register means that some INPADOC event codes for the data will have the same event description. This is true for similar procedural steps which occur in different stages of the application and granting procedure, and in the post-grant stage. For example, there are 3 event codes having the INPADOC event code description 'Date of receipt of statement of grounds of appeal recorded', which belong to events related to the recording of the grounds of appeal in appeals following examination, opposition or limitation. The EPO is working on extending the INPADOC event description by extra information regarding the stage in which the event occurred.

Questions? Comments?
Please write to patentdata(a)epo.org


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