The European Patent Office (EPO) provides a single patent grant procedure, but not a single patent from the point of view of enforcement. The patents granted are not European Community patents or even Europe-wide patents, but a bundle of national patents.

Patent applications may be filed in any language provided that a translation into one of the official languages (English, French or German)is submitted within two months.The official language that the application is filed in or translated into is taken to be the language of the proceedings and the application is published in that language. European patent applications are designated with an (A1) while European patents are designated with a (B1).

European patent plaque images are acquired from the European Patent Office website and are then sized within a distinctive border before transferring the image to the metal plate. Patent plaques are available in four sizes (6"X8", 9"X12", 10.5"X13" and 12"X15"), three bases (solid walnut, high gloss cherry and high gloss onyx), and two metal plate colors (gold and silver). Optional trim (border) plates in black and maroon are available for the 9"X12", 10.5"X13", and 12"X15" plaques. All plaque bases are drilled for wall mounting or can be mounted on a plaque stand.