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Citations for EP documents

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:58 pm
by EPO / Innovation Networks
For EP applications, Espacenet contains documents cited by the applicant or cited by the EPO during its search, examination, opposition, limitation, revocation or appeal procedures.

When looking at citations for EP publications in Espacenet, you will find that they are attached to one kind of publication or another, depending on where the citations originate:

• A1 or A3 publications may contain citations from the search report

• A1 or A2 publications may contain citations from the applicant and/or from third party observations

• B1 publications may contain citations originating during the substantive examination phase and/or in opposition cases (when the opposition does not lead to an amended patent specification)

• B2 publications may contain citations originating in the opposition phase (when the opposition leads to an amended patent specification)

Additionally, in the case of EP-A publications originating from PCT applications, Espacenet retrieves the search report citations from the corresponding PCT publication.

In order to put together a complete list of citations relating to a specific EP application, please ensure that you consider all the kinds of publication issued.