EPO and Costa Rica continue validation agreement talks
From left to right: Tilman Quarch - Senior Advisor President’s Office, Alessia Volpe - Lead of Regional Desk Americas, Africa & ASEAN and Senior Advisor to the PD European and International Affairs, António Campinos – EPO President, Gerald Campos Valverde – Minister of Justice and Peace of Costa Rica, Agustín Meléndez García – Director General of the National Registry of Costa Rica and Juan Lozano Tovar – EPO Attaché in Latin America
On 23 October, the President of the European Patent Office (EPO), António Campinos met with Gerald Campos Valverde, Costa Rica's Minister of Justice and Peace, and Agustin Meléndez Garcia, the Director General of the National Registry, at the EPO Headquarters in Munich. This meeting came on the heels of the Administrative Council's decision to open formal negotiations with Costa Rica on 6 October.
The gathering was an opportunity to update each other on the latest innovation developments in Costa Rica, the current cooperation policy with the EPO and the steps towards implementing validation within Costa Rica.
Minister Gerald Campos showcased Costa Rica’s dedication to cultivating a business-friendly environment, positioning itself as a country open to innovation and expanding its role in foreign trade.
Growth through investment
Costa Rica's drive to join the validation community reflects the system's multiple benefits. These include propelling domestic and foreign investments, facilitating technology transfer, and spurring economic growth within its borders.
President Campinos expressed, "The Validation system aligns entirely with Costa Rica's strategy to attract investment and enhance international visibility by enabling companies from around the world to select this country and obtain Costa Rican national patents through the EPO patent grant procedure. We are committed to assisting Costa Rica in pursuing these objectives while ensuring that the country, as in all other cases of Validation, retains full authority over validated patents subject to national law provisions."
Complementing discussions, upon invitation by the presiding judge Dr Matthias Zigann, the Minister and the Director General toured the Local Division of the Unified Patent Court and received a first-hand update on how the UPC started its work.
In conclusion
Building on fruitful discussions earlier this year, the EPO and Costa Rica are set to strengthen ties even further to deliver benefits to users, catalysing innovation and investment in the years ahead.