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ESPACE LEGAL

Content description

ESPACE LEGAL contains various types of information:

• the decisions of the EPO Boards of Appeal
• the directory of professional representatives
• a collection of legal texts

The first two databases can be searched using the MIMOSA software .

The legal texts on ESPACE LEGAL are available in HTML or in PDF format which enable links within and between the documents. The consultation of the legal texts requires the use of a standard Internet browser and the freeware ACROBAT READER.

Recommended use

ESPACE LEGAL was designed as the patent attorney's bookshelf in electronic format. Target users are patent attorneys, legal departments and lawyers interested in monitoring the case law at the EPO.

Type of documents

ESPACE LEGAL contains:

• Decisions of the EPO Boards of Appeal
• Directory of professional representatives
• Collections of legal texts

Languages available

The published decisions of the EPO Boards of Appeal are available in the three official languages of the EPO, the unpublished ones are available in the language of the proceedings.

The legal texts are available, as far as possible in the three official languages of the EPO; some texts are only available in English and French.

Coverage of the overall series

Complete collection of the decisions of the EPO Boards of Appeal published in the Official Journal of the EPO as well as the unpublished ones, starting 1978.

Complete directory of professional representatives.

Update frequency

ESPACE LEGAL issued every six months.

Most of the legal texts , the directory of professional representatives and a collection of boards of appeal decisions are also available via the EPO website.

Searchable fields

The following fields are available for searching the decisions of the EPO Boards of Appeal:

APL     Applicant
APN     Application number
ART     Articles and Rules
BOA     Board of Appeal
CLR     Year of Jurisprudence Report
CSN     Case number
DAT     Decision date
DCI     Cited decisions
HDN     Headnote
HDW     Headword
IPC     IPC Class
KEY     Keyword
LNG     Document language
NEW     First published on LEGAL, issue
OFJ     Published in Official Journal, issue
OPP     Opponent
PRESENCE     Presence of data
PRL     Procedure language
TXT     Full text (proximity)
TYP     Decision type

The following fields are available for searching the directory of professional representatives:

CITY     Representative's city
LAND     Representative's Country code
NAME     Representative's name   

Link to other related products

ESPACE Bulletin
Official Journal on CD-ROM