Detailed Answer with Legal References
Statement a) — True
Under Article 14(2) EPC, a European patent application may be filed in any language. Thus, Danish, the language of Bikeparts AS, is acceptable. However, since Danish is not one of the official languages of the EPO (English, French, German), a translation must be provided (see below under d)).
Statement b) — True
The same provision applies: since any language may be used for filing, Korean is acceptable even though it is not an official language of the EPO.
Statement c) — True
A European patent application may also be filed in Japanese under Art. 14(2) EPC, since “any language” includes Japanese. Again, translation into an EPO official language will be required.
Statement d) — False
If a European patent application is filed in a language other than English, French, or German, the applicant must supply a translation into one of these languages. According to Rule 6(1) EPC, this translation must be filed within two months of filing the application—not one month.
Exam Tip
Always distinguish between:
- Languages in which an EP application may be filed: any language (Art. 14(2) EPC).
- EPO official languages: English, French, German.
- Translation deadline: two months (Rule 6(1) EPC).
👉 A frequent trap in exams is mixing up the translation deadline (2 months) with other shorter deadlines (like 1 month for certain corrections).
Legal Disclaimer
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