The Guidelines, adopted in 1978, for examination in the European Patent Office (the "EPO") have been restructured and revised. The revised Guidelines have entered into force on 20 June 2012 (http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/guidelines/e/index.htm). Those Guidelines, adopted by the President of the EPO, give instructions about the practice and procedure to be followed in the various aspects of the examination of European applications and patents, in accordance with the European Patent Convention and its Implementing Regulations. They are regularly updated to take account of developments in European patent law and practice.