Examination Guidelines for Inventions
Find the guidelines used by the Austrian Patent Office in examining applications for patents and utility models
Why are guidelines needed?
Our staff work according to clearly defined guidelines. These ensure consistent, transparent, and high-quality procedures and make our working methods transparent and understandable.
The individual guidelines
- Guidelines for the Examination of Patent Applications, version effective from January 1, 2023 (Fees as of July 1, 2025)(pdf, 432 KB)
- Guidelines for the Examination of Utility Model Applications, version effective from January 1, 2023 (fees as of July 1, 2025)(pdf, 380 KB)
- Guidelines for the Examination of Software Inventions(pdf, 192 KB)
- WIPO Standard ST.22 – Recommendation on Machine Readability (OCR)(pdf, 1 MB)