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Alison Brimelow takes over as President of the European Patent Office

Munich, 2 July 2007 -- Alison Brimelow took up her duties as President of the European Patent Office (EPO) on 1 July. A UK national, she succeeds Alain Pompidou, who has headed the EPO since July 2004. Alison Brimelow was elected President in December 2003 by the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation, the EPO's governing body. Her term of office was set at three years.

Outlining the aims of her presidency , Alison Brimelow cites the need to ensure the quality of patents and equip the Office to face new challenges: "The EPO is an intensely competent and professional patent office. The task now is to make sure that the patents that we grant are relevant. What we need is not more patents, but more good patents. This will enable the EPO to remain a confident and competent organisation which can continue to set the global benchmark in patenting".

Before joining the EPO, Alison Brimelow pursued a varied career in the civil service, including experience of intellectual property at national, European and international levels. She joined the British Diplomatic Service in 1973 and later transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry, where she was mainly concerned with policy in the EU. In 1991 she joined the UK Patent Office (now the UK Intellectual Property Office), where she became head of the Trade Marks Registry. In March 1999 Alison Brimelow was appointed Chief Executive and Comptroller General of the UK Patent Office and became head of the UK delegation on the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation. From 2003 to 2006 she was the Council's Deputy Chair.



For further information, please contact:

Rainer Osterwalder
Press Department, European Patent Office
D-80298 Munich
Tel.: +49 89/2399-1820
Fax: +49 89/2399-2850
Mobile: +49 163/8399-527
rosterwalder@epo.org