What documents to print for D1 questions
Updated 25 September 2023
Although the first thing experienced attorneys tell candidates is not to take too many books with them to the EQEs since there is no time to use them anyway – especially if you are not familiar with the material –, most candidates still have their desks full of books during Paper D, because it is still the safer choice. There is nothing worse than a question that you could just simply double check (like is X state a PCT member state), and you can’t because you haven’t printed the list of PCT countries.
At my exam, I used my EPC-reference book for about 75% of the questions, and my PCT materials (shortened PCT Applicant's Guide, Euro-PCT guide and Cees Mulder’s PCT reference book for about 23% of the questions, there are a very few questions (let’s say 2%) where you might need some other documents.
Online or on paper?
Many of these documents are already available from WISEflow, but you cannot open too many tabs and opening tabs can also slow down your browser (not just my experience). So, you might want to print a few additional, important documents.
It is also up to you if you fully trust WISEflow or if you would rather have a copy of the most important materials, such as the PCT Applicant’s guide. [If you feel more comfortable having a hard copy of the PCT Applicant’s guide, please save the trees and don’t print thousands of pages though. Focus on the questions and answers in the “Introduction to the International Phase” and “Introduction to the National Phase”, and print on both sides of the papers. Furthermore, you can also print the Annexes of the biggest offices (such as IB, EPO, USPTO, CN, KR, JP, DE, UK, FR), but you definitely don’t need to have all Annexes of all PCT member states.]
If I were you, I wouldn’t really print documents that are not that important and can be found on the EPO’s website (the EPO’s website can be easily and reliably opened from WISEflow). However, I would print documents that are either PCT materials or are more important (i.e. more frequently needed), and not that long.
One more comment on printing: I highly recommend deciding what you want to print as early as possible. This way, you can practice the same way until the EQE, using the same materials, whether they are online or on paper. If you do want to print some documents, such as the PCT Applicant’s guide, print them now and use the same printed documents in the upcoming months. As a result, you will get used to those and thus be a lot quicker when looking for something. Furthermore, you have plenty of time to highlight it, add tabs, comments, etc.
Some candidates like to use online materials when answering questions – that is fine, but remember to train under the same circumstances as the exam. For example, don’t search answers in your browser as you will not have access to Google from WISEflow. Moreover, you will not be able to use your online materials, such as the EPC.app or Ignacio Lobato’s electronic Paper D-guide from WISEflow, so make sure to have hard copies.
You can however start practicing using the “Advanced search” at EPO’s starting page, I heard from candidates that it is very helpful during the exam (but again, only if you know how to use it efficiently).
List of useful documents
I collected a few documents that you can print for the Paper D just in case. Most of these are just a few pages long. Again, if you don’t have these, you can still easily pass and even get very high marks.
EPO-WIPO Agreement (as in force from April 1, 2023)
PCT Third party observations (not necessary if you print the PCT applicant’s guide as it is included 11.109-11.117)
Types of Protection Available via the PCT in PCT Contracting States (to check for example where national route is available)
States Party to the PCT and the Paris Convention and Members of the World Trade Organization (to confirm that you can validly claim priority from an Argentinean national patent application for a PCT application :) )
PCT fee table with the list of receiving Offices (rO) and competent International search authorities (ISA) for each rO
PACE (programme for accelerated prosecution of European patent applications) - OJ EPO 2015, A93
Arrangements for deposit accounts (ADA) (Supplementary publication 3, OJ EPO 2022, recommendation: print pages 11-57) (unless your reference book includes it)
Protocol on Recognition (unless your reference book includes it – look in the notes related to Art. 61 EPC)
You might also want to print the materials I prepared for the EQE (such as EPC vs PCT differences, summary of G decisions, all PCT time limits, etc.). You can find all of them in compact, printable format here.
+1: EQE Calendar!
The basis for calculating time limits are the days on which the EPO filing offices are closed as published in the Official Journal. Candidates are encouraged to have the closing days of the EPO at hand during the examination. No calendars will be provided with the examination papers.
Anything you would add?
Please let me and the readers know in the comments!