日本企業が欧州特許庁に出願する場合は、ほとんどの場合日本国内でなされた基礎出願に基づく優先権を主張してなされます。
そして基礎出願の出願人と欧州特許出願の出願人とが異なることが多々あります。
例えば、
基礎日本出願の出願人：Ａ
欧州特許出願の出願人：Ｂ
というように欧州特許出願で出願人が変わるパターンや、
基礎日本出願の出願人：ＡおよびＢ
欧州特許出願の出願人：Ｂのみ
というように欧州特許出願で出願人が減るパターンです。
このような場合、欧州特許庁ではＡの出願の権利または優先権がＢに譲渡されたことを証明する書面を提出することが求められます（ガイドラインA-III, 6.1）。そして、この譲渡証明ができなれければ優先権が否定されます（T382/07）。
このため上記例のように、欧州特許出願で出願人が変わる場合または欧州特許出願で出願人が減る場合は、欧州特許出願の依頼時に出願の権利または優先権が譲渡されたことを証明する書面を準備しておくべきです。
一方で、
基礎日本出願の出願人：Ａのみ
欧州特許出願の出願人：ＡおよびＢ
というように欧州特許出願で出願人が増える場合には譲渡証明等の手続きは必要ありません。
参考資料：EPOガイドラインA-III, 6.1
The applicant for a European patent is entitled to and may claim the priority of an earlier first application where:
(i)the previous application was filed in or for a State or WTO member recognised as giving rise to a priority right in accordance with the provisions of the EPC;
(ii)the applicant for the European patent was the applicant, or is the successor in title to the applicant, who made the previous application;
(iii)the European application is made during a period of twelve months from the date of filing of the first application (see, however, A III, 6.6); and
(iv)the European application is in respect of the same invention as the invention disclosed in the previous application (see also F VI, 1).
As concerns (i) above, the previous application may be an application for a patent or for the registration of a utility model or for a utility certificate. However, a priority right based on the deposit of an industrial design is not recognised (see J 15/80).
So long as the contents of the previous application were sufficient to establish a date of filing, it can be used to determine a priority date, irrespective of the outcome (e.g. subsequent withdrawal or refusal) of the application.
As concerns (ii) above, the transfer of the application (or of the priority right as such) must have taken place before the filing date of the later European application and must be a transfer valid under the relevant national provisions. Proof of this transfer can be filed later.
However, in the case of joint applicants filing the later European patent application, it is sufficient if one of the applicants is the applicant or successor in title to the applicant of the previous application. There is no need for a special transfer of the priority right to the other applicant(s), since the later European application has been filed jointly. The same applies to the case where the previous application itself was filed by joint applicants, provided that all these applicants, or their successor(s) in title, are amongst the joint applicants of the later European patent application.
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