Polish Patent Office marks 105 years

The Polish Patent Office has held a special conference in Warsaw to celebrate its 105^th anniversary, at which the EPO President delivered a speech and met with several representatives of government, business and academia.

The International Intellectual Property (IP) Congress spanned from 21 to 22 September and was themed around future challenges and trends confronting IP.

Following keynotes from speakers that included Waldemar Buda, Polish Minister of Economic Development and Technology; and Edyta Demby-Siwek, President of the Polish Patent Office, President António Campinos delivered a speech exploring the relevance of intellectual property in today's world.

In his speech, President Campinos argued that the benefits of IP to the economy and of technology to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) were “beyond doubt”, and that the real question to be considered is how these benefits can be scaled and how inventors can be supported further.

President Campinos underlined that the key to scaling the benefits of patents, and their impact on societal challenges, was making IP more accessible to underrepresented entities.

“For far too many people in society, patenting remains an abstract and poorly grasped concept,” said President Campinos. “Or worse still, as something out of reach.”

“It is the responsibility of all IP offices to work together to ensure that our net is cast far and wide so that the full weight of society’s talent can be harnessed and mobilised to the causes where it is most needed,” he added.

Measures such as the Unitary Patent Package and the Fee Policy Review were cited as examples of how the EPO is working to address the challenge of accessibility.

Following his speech, President Campinos and fellow speakers Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), and João Negrão, Executive Director–Elect, European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) were invited to a panel discussion which covered a range of topics spanning AI, challenges confronting the obtainment of IP, and who benefits most from IP.

During President Campinos's visit to Poland, he held discussions with key government officials, including Ms Kamila Król, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, and Mr Wojciech Murdzek, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education and Science, focusing on the role of intellectual property (IP) in promoting innovation and technology transfer.

Additionally, he met with rectors from Polish universities to explore technology transfer experiences, IP-related initiatives, and opportunities for universities to participate in the Pan European Seal Young Professionals Programme. Furthermore, the President engaged with members of the Polish business community to address IP challenges from a user perspective.

Meetings were also conducted with Mr Jacek Siewiera, Secretary of State, Head of the National Security Bureau, discussing topics such as support measures for Ukraine and the significance of the Unitary Patent.

Discussions with the Minister of Finance centred on financial measures supporting IP users, particularly SMEs. These meetings underscored the EPO's commitment to fostering collaboration and supporting various sectors in utilising IP to tackle significant challenges and drive economic growth in Poland.

Another meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Health addressed the Observatory on Patents and Technology's work, and assistance for SMEs in safeguarding their pharmaceutical innovations.