[2] [needs update] The European Patent Bulletin is published in German, English and French, the three official languages of the EPO.
The European Patent Bulletin has been published online since January 2004.
In the European patent grant procedure, the mention of the publication of the European search report in the European Patent Bulletin marks the start of the six-month period for filing the request for examination, paying the examination fee,[4] paying the designation fees,[5] and paying the extension fees.
[7] The publication of this mention in the European Patent Bulletin marks the start of the three-month period (or more in some countries, such as Ireland) for supplying the translation of the text in which the European patent has been granted to each national patent office, in order to have an effective protection in each country.
[8] The publication of this mention also marks the start of the nine-month period for giving notice of opposition to the patent to the EPO.