Thursday, July 16, 2015 EPO improves its procedures for maintaining the lists of professional representatives

Over the past couple of years, the EPO has been clarifying the procedures around maintaining the entries on the list of professional representatives (European Patent Attorneys), and the registration of associations.


The latest overview mentions:

• The Legal Division should be informed without delay of any changes
• Changes in nationality or business address are particularly important because they affect eligibility - both a business address in an EPC state and nationality of an EPC state are required, although an exemption from the nationality can be requested from the EPO.
• Requests for (re-)entry on, changes in or deletion must be sent in writing to the Legal Division 
• If the request is for (re-)entry, the original must be filed. All other requests can also be filed by facsimile or online. Requests filed by electronic mail only are not valid 

The recommended forms and further details on each procedure are not easy to find on the EPO website - they are only available via the search page to find a professional representative.