My Bluebook doesn’t seem to be yielding an answer here. What is the citation style for a decision by the European Patent Office? As in:
In re application of X, Docket No. Y (European Patent Office MM DD, YYYY)
A colleague of mine has used “EPO,” but I don’t see anything in the Bluebook that supports this abbreviation. The most I seem to be able to come up with is that “European” can be abbreviated as “Eur.,” which gives me “Eur. Patent Office.” I thought I would also find abbreviations for “patent” and “office,” giving me something like “Eur. Pat. Offc.,” but nothing like that seems to turn up.
Any ideas?
I’m no bluebook expert, but…take a look at Rule 20 and go from there. I’d maybe use some of the European intergovernmental courts listed in Table 3 as an analogue, and then the first time I cited to the EPO, I’d include a footnote clarifying your citation method, if it wouldn’t otherwise be crystal clear to the judge.
On other thought–are those decisions published in any other reporter that the Bluebook does give a rule for?
I do not have the exact information before me now, but it will be more than “EPO” or “Eur. Patent Office”, as you need to cite the board of the EPO. If it is a decision from the Technical Board of Appeals (one that looks like “T_nnnn/yy”), I have seen it abbreviated “Tech. Bd. App.”, but that could be an informal abbreviation. If it is a decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeals (“G_nnnn/yy”), I have seen “Enl. Bd. App.” (Again, this may just be the author’s convention.) It is important, however you do it, to ensure the reader understands the deciding body, as opinions from the Enlarged Board are much more persuasive.
As a direct answer to your question, I think you can always get away with “Eur. Pat. Off.” in any but the most anal paper or brief.
There is an Official Journal of the European Patent Office (usually just cited as “OJ EPO” in most writings I have seen) that publishes the opinions, but the usual way to cite EPO opinions is by the T or G number.
Thanks for the input, folks. I think my boss is going to leave it as is, but it doesn’t look right to me.
This case: http://legal.european-patent-office.org/dg3/biblio/t890754eu1.htm
is cited like this “EPO Case Number T 0754/89 - 3.2.3”
in this Law Review article (not cited in Blue Book form): Patent Practice in London - Local Internationalism: How Patent Law Magnifies the Relationship of the United Kingdom with Europe, the United States, and the Rest of the World, 2 Loy. Int’l L. Rev. 31 (Fall, 2004 / Winter, 2005)
Otherwise, you’ve got Rule 6.1: “Abbreviations not listed in this book should be avoided unless substantial space will be saved and the resulting abbreviation is unambiguous.”