European Patent Forum/PATINNOVA 2009 - Prague, 28-30 April

International conference on the challenges facing IP protection of innovations in rapidly developing digital industries

Munich / Prague, 23 April 2009 -- In no other branch is progress made so quickly as in digital technology. The extremely fast pace of innovation and the multitude of areas affected also mean major challenges for IP protection, as can already be seen from the sharp increase in patent applications in the digital-technology sectors. This area will be examined in all its facets at the European Patent Forum/PATINNOVA 2009 conference, which is being jointly organised by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Commission. The conference will see several hundred experts from industry, government and administration, science and research come together at a series of seminars and workshops at the Hilton Hotel in Prague from 28 to 30 April 2009.

The event will open with addresses by EU Council President and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Vladimír Špidla and EPO President Alison Brimelow. Other speakers include Professor Ove Granstrand from Chalmers University in Sweden and Heinz Zourek, Director-General of the Commission's DG Enterprise and Industry.

The international patent system and digital technology

"Does the international patent system meet the needs of patent applicants from the digital-technology sector?", "Do patents promote or check digital innovation in Europe?": these are just two of the key questions which will be addressed at the conference by experts such as John Kennedy, chairman of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and Tim Frain, director of IPR Regulatory Affairs at Nokia.

According to EPO President Alison Brimelow, "Patents play a major role in disseminating innovation in many fields of technology. For new and still rapidly developing technologies especially, the patent system is called upon to create legal certainty and so scope for innovation by setting clear guidelines and implementing a consistent quality policy. With the European Patent Forum, the EPO is offering an excellent platform for exchanging ideas on how to do this".

Find out more about the "European Patent Forum"

If you have any other questions, please contact:

Rainer Osterwalder
Director Media Relations
European Patent Office
Erhardtstrasse 27 | D-80469 Munich
Tel.: +49 (0)89 2399-1820
Fax: +49 (0)89 2399-2850
rosterwalder@epo.org