Rule 24

General provisions

(1)31 European patent applications may be filed in writing with the authorities referred to in Article 75 either directly or by post. The President of the European Patent Office may permit European patent applications to be filed by other means of communication and lay down conditions governing their use. He may, in particular, require that within such period as the European Patent Office shall specify written confirmation be supplied reproducing the contents of applications so filed and complying with the requirements of these Implementing Regulations.

(2) The authority with which the European patent application is filed shall mark the documents making up the application with the date of their receipt. It shall issue without delay a receipt to the applicant which shall include at least the application number, the nature and number of the documents and the date of their receipt.

(3) If the European patent application is filed with an authority mentioned in Article 75, paragraph 1(b), it shall without delay inform the European Patent Office of receipt of the documents making up the application. It shall inform the European Patent Office of the nature and date of receipt of the documents, the application number and any priority date claimed.

(4) When the European Patent Office has received a European patent application which has been forwarded by a central industrial property office of a Contracting State, it shall inform the applicant accordingly, indicating the date of its receipt at the European Patent Office.