Getting a patent is one of the most necessary things to be accomplished once you have conceptualized an innovative idea. A patent confirms that the idea is original, and also secures that the creator’s idea will not be infringed in any manner. However, before acquiring a patent, the creator has to find out whether the concept has been patented before.

The main body giving patents within Europe is the European Patent Office or the EPO. This office is responsible for searching and providing patents to almost all countries in the European Union, barring only a few countries. At present, it has about 30 million patents on record.

The website of the EPO is www.espacenet.com. It provides online patent searches to the general public. This service is provided free of cost. The site contains an online patent application form. Filling in details such as personal information, nature of the concept and a suitable keyword enables the search engine to scout if a patent is already in progress. The website maintains a database of all the patents that have been given within Europe. It is called the Globlepat.