Welcome to Rhein-IP.
Your dedicated blog for navigating the EPO, the UPC, and PCT practice.
Fees, procedure, and case law — from primary sources.
The official EPO fee schedule, the EPC and PCT in full, and the decisions of the Boards of Appeal and the UPC — gathered in one place and cited throughout.
The full cost in seconds
Filing, search, examination, grant, and 20 years of renewals — computed for any combination of contracting states from the official EPO fee schedule, updated daily.
The legal source, in seconds
Ask in plain language. The chat returns the applicable EPC article, PCT rule, or Guidelines passage, with the citation in line.
Case law at a glance
The relevant decisions of the Boards of Appeal, the Enlarged Board of Appeal, and the UPC, written up in clear prose and linked to the original ruling — so the latest case law stays within reach.
The full cost of a European patent, in seconds.
Select the contracting states for validation. The complete cost of prosecution — filing, search, examination, grant, and renewal fees over 20 years — is computed from the current EPO fee schedule, refreshed daily.
The right citation, in seconds.
Procedural questions on examination proceedings before the EPO, entry into the European phase, and the requirements of the unitary patent are answered with the applicable EPC article, PCT rule, or Guidelines passage cited in line.
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The EPC, in full
Articles, Implementing Regulations, Guidelines for Examination, the official fee schedule, and the national laws of the EPC contracting states.
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The PCT, in full
Articles, Regulations under the PCT, and the national laws governing entry into the regional and national phase.
Provided as a sourced reference for qualified IP practitioners. Each response carries its EPC, PCT, or Guidelines citation; verification against the official text rests with the reader.
What happens if the renewal fee for the 3rd year is not paid on time?
Where a renewal fee is not paid within the period specified in Art. 86(1) EPC, it may still be validly paid within six months of the due date, subject to payment of an additional fee equal to 50% of the unpaid renewal fee [Art. 86(2) EPC]. Failure to pay within that additional period results in the application being deemed withdrawn.
For informational guidance only. Not legal advice. Verify against official sources.
The latest case law, made plain.
The decisions worth knowing about — from the Boards of Appeal, the Enlarged Board, and the UPC — written up in clear prose and linked to the original ruling. Open questions on a decision can be put to the chat.
Latest articles
UPC·Security for Costs and the Trap of Erroneous Appeal Instructions at the CoA
UPC·Claim Construction and Multi-Material Purge Towers at The Hague Local Division
UPC·Revoking Expired Patents and the Strict Bounds of Auxiliary Review at the UPC
UPC·Structural Novelty and Auxiliary Requests at the Paris Local Division
EPO·Arbitrary Modifications and Late Submissions: T 0094/24 on the Problem-Solution Framework
UPC·Technical Character of UI Features and Cross-Appeal Limits at the CoA
EPO·The Limits of G 2/21: T 0655/24 on Post-Published Evidence and Improved Effects
EPO·Deconstructing G 1/07: T 0941/24 on Surgical Steps and Implicit Features
UPC·Appeal Deadlines and Unreasoned Decisions at the Court of Appeal
EPO·The Substantiation Threshold: T 0241/25 on Intermediate Generalisations