Our answers to EPAC 2023, Part 2

Here are our answers to the open questions.  Please feel invited to post your comments!

You may also wish to check our First impressions blog (here) and our blog with our answers to the first part (here).


Part 2 seems a fair exam. Good questions, well-targetted to the audience (formalities officers), doable in the 2 hours, although the level of detail is not always clear (e.g., Q.5). Part 2 is incomparable to part 1, which was clearly very (too) tough for the time available with difficult topics tested in multiple-choice form.

One problem in part 2 may have been that access to the EPO legal texts was often very difficult: candidates reported slow loading of pages as well as time-outs. It is not known whether candidates timely filed complaints (on the day of the exam before midnight) in case this happened to them during the exam.


Comments on Q1

Unlike the other questions, there was no indication of whether fee amounts should or should not be mentioned. We included them just in case.


Comments on Q5

There are 2 options to get EP protection in Belgium, Latvia and Malta: classical validation or via the unitary route. It is unreasonable to expect that anyone knows which is the best option to pursue without a full discussion between a patent attorney and the client. 

Further, it is unclear whether renewal fees and court costs need to be taken into account when considering "at the lowest cost" - renewal fees for year 4 are lower with the Unitary patent than with 3 classical validations, but for all years thereafter they are significantly higher, and -presumably- court fees are also significantly higher at the UPC than at these three relatively small countries.

Our answers to EPAC 2023, Part 1 - A tough first part!

Dear EPAC candidates,

The exam of 2022 was challenging and the level of knowledge required for yesterday's exam has not dropped. In the opinion of the DeltaPatents tutors, the multiple choice questions were more difficult than the open questions. The 15 questions of part 1 are on balance too difficult and not targeted at an average, skilled patent administrator. There are too few questions which can be safely answered off heart. Too many question are too complicated and need thorough checking. But, there is no time for so much checking. We call upon the committee to start open dialogues on the exams and suggest to arrange, as for the EQE, a tutor meeting where all aspects of the exam can be discussed in an open and cooperative setting between the committee and tutors.

Below are our answers in brief to the multiple choice questions of part 1. Full questions are added to the end of the blog post. Our answers to part 2 can be found here. You may also wish to check our First impressions blog (here).

Please feel invited to post your comments!


Question 1

D

Ms Smith can only be deleted with her consent.

R 21(1) EPC - consent of the wrongly designated inventor (Ms Smith) is needed

EPAC 2023: First impressions?

To all that sat the EPAC exam today, 12 October 2023: please feel invited to post your first impressions and comments.

Was the first part, with multiple-choice questions in the morning, as expected - topics, difficulty, time, balance EPO : PCT international phase : Euro-PCT?

Was the second part, with open questions in the afternoon, as expected - topics, difficulty, time, balance EPO : PCT international phase : Euro-PCT?

If you also sat EPAC 2022 or used it as part of your preparation: how do the two exams compare?

Did Wiseflow run smoothly? Did you consult the online legal texts for EPC and for PCT? (Some candidates reported very slow loading and time-outs)

Note: our answers to the first part (multiple choice) are given in this blog post; our answers to the second part (open questions) will be given in another blog here.

EPAC 2023: exam dates announced and enrolment is open - and our course offer.

 EPAC 2023

The EPAC 2023 examination will be held online on 12 October 2023. We refer to the EPAC webpages on EPAC dates (here).

To enrol, two steps are needed: the first step is the creation of a personal profile (to be completed by 7 August 2023) and, only after the first step has been completed, the seconds step is the enrolment itself (the candidate’s request for enrolment and payment of prescribed fees must be received by 14 August 2023). Note that the deadlines are strictly enforced. We refer to the EPAC enrolment webpage for details (here).

More information about EPAC is available on the EPAC website from the EPO (here).

DeltaPatents course offer 

​DeltaPatents offers a course covering the EPAC syllabus for candidates that plan to sit EPAC 2023.

DeltaPatents has been offering a similar course to candidates preparing for the national formalities exam in the Netherlands, which also covers the EPC and PCT with essentially the same scope, for many years already. DeltaPatents was therefore able to already provide a course to prepare for EPAC 2022. Our course is now being further developed for EPAC 2023 using the teachings of  the EPAC 2022 course and examination. The course is designed for and directed to paralegals, patent administrators and formalities officers, with at least a couple of years experience. 

The EPAC Training course consists of a series of 13 half-day online sessions, with interactive presentations and homework by which candidates can further develop their knowledge, understanding and skill. Candidates will need to have sufficient time available to make the homework to benefit optimally from the course. By providing the sessions already as of 18 April 2023, participants will have sufficient time to prepare for the exam. By using half-day sessions, the amount of new information per session is kept at a manageable level. By using an online format, participants can take part from all over Europe – or even outside.

See here for details and enrollment to our EPAC training.


 

EPAC 2022 -- Update 3 April 2023: Results are out!

Today, enrolment for the first EPAC exam, which will take place online on 12 December 2022, has opened. Enrolment closes on 30 September 2022. See the News message on the EPO website here. For our course offer, see here.

Update 3 April 2023: results are out, and Examiner report is available (here). Please feel invited to post your comments.

The News messsage provides (cited without changes, but emphasis added):

EPO announced the first EPAC exam

Yesterday, it was announced that the EPO introduces a new certification scheme for patent administrators: EPAC.

The News message indicates:

"The EPO has developed a new certification: the European patent administration certification (EPAC). Designed for paralegals, patent administrators and formalities officers, the EPAC will equip professionals with the knowledge and skills to manage filing, prosecution, grant and maintenance associated processes for European and international patent applications before the EPO. Enrolment begins in September, with the first exam planned on 12 December 2022.

European patent system users have increasingly suggested the convenience of a certification scheme for paralegals and administrative staff working in intellectual property rights. While training and certification opportunities exist in a limited number of countries, demand at the European level is growing. To address these needs, the EPO developed the EPAC, offering tailor-made training in dedicated courses and providing a new high-quality certification.  

The examination focuses on procedural aspects under the European Patent Convention (EPC), the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the Paris Convention. It also covers national laws and other agreements applicable to European patents and patent applications, including the London Agreement. Candidates will answer questions on the various patenting routes, application procedures and the procedural, administrative and formalities-related tasks involved."


Preparation for EPAC 2022

DeltaPatents will offer a course covering the EPAC syllabus for candidates that plan to sit EPAC 2022.

DeltaPatents has been offering a similar course to candidates preparing for the national formalities exam in the Netherlands, which also covers the EPC and PCT with essentially the same scope, for many years already. We are therefore able to provide a course to prepare for EPAC 2022 despite the very short notice of the new exam. The course is designed for and directed to paralegals, patent administrators and formalities officers.

The course will consist of a series of 12, ~weekly, half-day online sessions, with interactive presentations and homework by which candidates can further develop their knowledge, understanding and skill. Candidates well need to have sufficient time available to make the homework to benefit optimally from the course. By providing the sessions in an (approximate) weekly rhythm in Q3-Q4 2022, participants get into a steady study mode. By using half-day sessions, participants are able to pay attention full-time while also keeping the amount of new information per session under control. By using an online format, participants can task part from all over Europe - or even outside. The last two sessions will be scheduled in between the Mock and the real exam.

Our detailed course offering is provided on our website: please refer to our EPAC course page and the brochure on that page our detailed announcement and enrollment to the course.

We also offer a variety of books in our webshop that EPAC candidates may find useful. In particular:

Resived Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal in force from 1 January 2020


On 4 July 2019, a communication was posted  the Board of Appeal website indicating that the revised Rules of Procedure were approved by the Administrative Council and will come into force on 1 January 2020.