The European Patent Office (EPO) Examination Guidelines 2023, based on the European Patent Convention (EPC) and the Cooperative Patent Treaty (PCT), came into force on March 1, replacing the March 2022 version.
The new guidelines are published on the EPO website in the three official languages of the EPO and can be downloaded free of charge in PDF format or accessed point by point in HTML format. The PDF version is available as both a "clean copy" and a version showing all modifications. In each section of the HTML version, changes in the new version can be shown by selecting the "Show modifications" box in the upper right corner. A full list of revised terms and corresponding hyperlinks are posted with the corresponding guidance. Read more