What is the EU patent application process?

1. What is the EU patent application process? 1. It will take 3-5 years for the whole European patent to be granted. 2. Application: Applicants can apply to the European Patent Office in one of the three official languages: English, French and German. About one month after the application, the European Bureau will issue a notice. 3. Search by the European Patent Office: When submitting an application, you must make a search request and pay the search fee. About 2 years from the date of application, I received a search report issued by the European Patent Office, with a preliminary examination opinion on the patentability of the application. 4. Publication of patent application: The European patent will publish the patent application within 18 months from the date of filing. 5. Request for substantive examination and substantive examination: The applicant shall make a request for substantive examination at the same time of filing the application or within 6 months from the date of publication of the retrieval report of the European Patent Office. At the same time as the substantive examination request is made, it is necessary to designate a specific member state from the European member States and pay the examination fee and designation fee. If the transfer fee is paid seven times, all parties to the European Patent Treaty can transfer it, but the transfer fee of the extension country needs to be paid separately. The European patent application enters the actual examination procedure after the substantive examination, and usually receives the examination opinions from the European Patent Office within 1-3 years after the actual examination. 6. European patent authorization: When it is approved, the European Patent Office will issue a copy of the authorization notice. The applicant chooses to agree to the authorization text and allow this application to enter the authorization procedure, or modify the text or claim according to his own wishes. At the same time, pay the license fee and submit the translation of the claim in the other two languages. In addition, it is necessary to check whether the translation of the priority certificate has been submitted. After the above work is completed, the European patent is officially authorized and a certificate of authorization is issued. 7. For the entry into force in European member States, generally, after receiving the authorization notice, the applicant must decide to choose the entry into force country from the list of designated countries and notify the European Patent Office in which countries the patent will take effect. After determining the effective country, according to the regulations of each effective country, it is generally necessary to translate all the contents of this European patent into the language of that country and submit it to the effective country, so that this European patent can take effect in that country. Generally speaking, European member States require that the translation work be completed within three months from the announcement of authorization and take effect in various countries, and nine months after the announcement is the objection period. Therefore, if the applicant needs to take effect in multiple countries, it needs to prepare more fees. After completing the work that takes effect in different countries, the applicant has patents in different countries and is independent of each other, and each item needs to pay an annual fee. 8. Validity period: 20 years from the date of application. Second, the purpose of applying for a patent The main purpose of applying for a patent is: First, to determine the ownership relationship of inventions and creations through legal procedures, so as to effectively protect the achievements of inventions and creations and monopolize the market in exchange for the greatest economic benefits. Applying for a patent in time is to prevent the achievements of invention and creation from being used at will by others and losing their due value. Secondly, the purpose of applying for a patent in time is to gain the initiative in the market competition, prevent competitors from applying for a patent for the same invention, and thus ensure the safety and reliability of their own product production and sales. 1. As an intangible asset, patent has great commercial value and is an important means to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises. 2. Enterprises will apply for patents for scientific research achievements, which is the basis for enterprises to implement patent strategy. 3. The quality and quantity of patents are the embodiment of enterprise's innovation ability and core competitiveness, and the symbol of enterprise's identity and position in this industry. 4. Enterprises can gain long-term benefits by applying the patent system. 5, enterprises have a patent is a necessary prerequisite to declare high-tech enterprises, innovation funds and other scientific and technological plans and projects. 6. Conducive to scientific and correct decision-making of enterprises. Through patent analysis, enterprises can understand the trend of science and technology, industry, market and new products, and then predict and make their own short-,medium-and long-term development plans, and determine which products enterprises develop to occupy the market, maintain a leading position and expand market share. 7. Increase enterprise value. If the company has many valuable patents and a third person is willing to invest in a company, the company's share price will be greatly increased. 8. Make small wins big, and enhance the competitiveness of enterprises. Patents are equally important to large, medium and small enterprises and new enterprises. In the fierce competitive market, small enterprises can completely obtain patented new inventions to beat the leading products set up by large enterprises with huge advertisements. 9. Assist in developing foreign markets. At present, more than 70 countries and regions in the world have established and implemented the patent system. Many foreign buyers, especially American buyers, will ask local manufacturers or sellers to prove that they own the intellectual property rights of their products, so as to protect themselves from being involved in infringement lawsuits before they are willing to trade. Patent application is not only the protection of copyright and the right of invention and creation, but also the most obvious embodiment of the legal society. As an intangible asset, patent has great commercial value, which can enhance the competitiveness of enterprises and is also a symbol of their status and identity. From the national level, it can promote the national economic development, enhance the international status, and facilitate the scientific decision-making of enterprises.