Pilot of new Online Filing module started
Published on: 30 January 2025
On 23 January the Netherlands Patent Office officially started the pilot of the Front Office project (new Online Filing module). This pilot will last for five weeks and three offices are participating.
During this period, we will test in the production environment whether the Online Filing application functions properly. Participants in the pilot first set up their own administration. Then they file an NL patent application, a translation for a European validation and subsequently filed documents. The Netherlands Patent Office monitors these submissions and monitors thoroughly that the applications and documents are properly imported to our systems.
Patent applications for the Netherlands submitted through the new Online Filing will be given a number in a new series. The number of the first application is 4000000.
If the initial results are positive, pilot participants may submit multiple patent applications and subsequently filed documents through the new Online Filing.
How to proceed?
In this pilot, we are not yet able to test the PCT applications and PCT subsequently filed documents. We will test these after deployment of the forms by our supplier.
Only when all forms are working properly in the production environment, the new Online Filing module will become available to all.
The current Online Filing application (eOLF) will remain available for a short time in a transitional phase. In this BPP portal, we will inform you in good time about the termination of the current Online Filing module.