Legal Definitions - European Patent Office

The European Patent Office (EPO) is an organization that receives applications for patents, examines them, and grants patents for inventions that meet the requirements of the European Patent Convention. The EPO has offices in Munich, Germany, and The Hague, Netherlands.

For example, if a company wants to protect their invention in multiple European countries, they can file a patent application with the EPO. The EPO will then examine the application to determine if the invention meets the criteria for patentability. If the invention is deemed patentable, the EPO will grant a patent that is valid in the countries designated by the applicant.

The EPO plays an important role in promoting innovation and protecting intellectual property rights in Europe. By granting patents, the EPO encourages inventors to invest time and resources into developing new technologies and products, knowing that their ideas will be protected from infringement by others.