New progress in recording transfers of rights at the European Patent Office

The European Patent Office (EPO) has changed its previous rule of only accepting handwritten signatures when registering and filing rights such as transfer contracts or licensing contracts. From April 1, 2024, the EPO can now accept signatures other than handwritten, such as fax signatures, text signatures, and digital signatures.

In addition, previously the signatory had to be a senior position holder such as director or CEO, or else he or she had to submit a document proving their position, but in the future the EPO will no longer confirm the signatory's qualifications and has relaxed the requirements for the signatory's position. However, the signatory's position still needs to be clearly stated.