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Background information

European Patent Office

The mission of the European Patent Office (EPO) is to support innovation, competitiveness and economic growth for the benefit of the citizens of Europe. Its task is to grant European patents for inventions on the basis of a centralized procedure for the contracting states to the European Patent Convention (EPC), which was signed in Munich on 5 October 1973 and entered into force on 7 October 1977.

Alison Brimelow

Alison Brimelow took office as President of the European Patent Office on 1 July 2007. Before that, she had pursued a varied career in the civil service, including experience of intellectual property at national, European and international levels.

"We need to face up to new challenges" - interview

Alison Brimelow talks about the EPO’s success story and why the Office needs to adapt to a moving landscape.

Patenting Trends in Eco-Innovation

Eco-innovation is a broad concept and is reflected in a large number of technical fields. One important example of a technology which is pivotal for tackling climate change is the generation and transformation of energy. This backgrounder looks at the development of patent applications in this area which were filed at the EPO between 1998 and 2007.

Background information on the "Edinburgh" patent (PDF)

This is the name commonly given to European patent No. 0695351, owned by the University of Edinburgh. The corresponding patent application was filed with the European Patent Office (EPO) in April 1994, which granted the patent, after examination, in December 1999. The patent concerns a method of genetically modifying animal stem cells so as to give them a survival advantage over unwanted differentiated cells.

Background information on the "Öl-Mais" patent (PDF, German)

So lautet die umgangssprachliche Bezeichnung für das europäische Patent Nr. 744 888 der Firma DuPont. Die entsprechende Patentanmeldung wurde im Februar 1995 beim Europäischen Patentamt (EPA) eingereicht, das im Anschluß an die Sachprüfung im August 2000 das Patent erteilte. 

Background information on the "Soya" patent (PDF)

This is what European patent No. 301 749 is commonly known as. The patent application was filed with the European Patent Office (EPO) in July 1988 and a patent was granted on completion of substantive examination in March 1994. The patent was transferred to Monsanto after it acquired Agracetus in 1996. 

The top filers with the EPO in 2006