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Deadlines and the EPO check

Track IP deadlines with reminders, save suggested deadlines from the office profile, and compare a published application with EPO data and the EP Register.

Applies to:
  • EnaTTO app
Last updated: Verified with EnaTTO 1.2.0

This article was verified with an older release. Screen names or steps may differ in the current version.

Missing an IP deadline can lose a right. EnaTTO keeps the deadlines of each portfolio record in one place, reminds the people responsible and can compare a published application with the data held by the European Patent Office (EPO).

Required role

  • Manage intellectual property (TTO staff, Owner). The assigned patent attorney can also update applications and run the EPO check.

Deadlines

On a portfolio record, Deadlines → Add deadline: choose the type (Office action response, Annual fee, Priority period, PCT national phase, Disclosure date or Other), the title and the Due date. The responsible person and the attorney are reminded 30, 7 and 1 days ahead, in the panel and by email. Mark a deadline Done or Cancelled when it is dealt with; open deadlines past their date are shown as overdue.

You enter deadlines; EnaTTO never creates one on its own. Two shortcuts help:

  • A Reply due date on office correspondence is added as a deadline.
  • Suggested deadlines on an application.

Suggested deadlines

On an application, Suggested deadlines lists standard deadlines calculated from the office profile and the application's filing, priority or grant date: for example the end of the priority year, the PCT national phase entry and annual fees. Each suggestion shows which date it comes from. Select the ones that apply and save them.

Annual-fee suggestions follow the office profile (for example DPMA from year 3, Octrooicentrum Nederland from year 4, UKIPO and IGE/IPI from year 5). No annual fees are suggested for designs and utility models. If nothing is suggested, check the filing and priority dates.

Suggestions are reminders, not legal advice

Suggested deadlines help you not to forget. Confirm exact deadlines with your patent attorney.

EPO check

The EPO check reads the bibliographic data of a published document from EPO Open Patent Services and, for EP documents, the EP Register status. It compares them with your record and lets you choose what to update.

Open the application and enter its Publication number. Unpublished applications are never looked up externally.

Under EPO check click Check with EPO. EnaTTO shows Fields that differ from the record (title, application number and date, earliest priority, publication, grant) and the EP Register status.

Select the fields to take over and click Apply selected. If the EP Register suggests a different status (for example granted, withdrawn, refused, lapsed), Set status to "…" changes the status and records it in the status history with an EPO note.

Nothing changes until you apply it. Only the publication number is sent to the EPO; no title, notes or names. The suggested status is a rule-based reading of the register text, not a legal determination.

Turkish applications can be checked only through EPO publication data when it exists, because TÜRKPATENT has no public API. If the check says the service is not configured, see Integrations.

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