Archiv 2007

The Council of the European Patent Organisation has backed a strategic approach to handling future workload in the European patent system.

Europa hat einen neuen Rechtsrahmen für Patentschutz: das überarbeitete Europäische Patentübereinkommen (EPÜ) tritt heute in Kraft.

The so-called "Gift Order Patent" has been revoked by the EPO in an opposition proceeding today after a hearing involving three opposing parties and the patent proprietor, Amazon Inc.

President Alison Brimelow told the EPO Online Services Conference in Como earlier this month that the EPO will stop accepting paper when the Office and applicants are ready.

Experts debated the BioTech Directive 98/44 EC at an EPO conference in Brussels earlier this month.

Fourteen years after the patent was filed, the appellant and patent proprietor, the University of Edinburgh, withdrew the appeal during oral proceedings. The patent will remain in a limited form.

An agreement has been reached on a single format for filing patent applications in co-operation with the system's users.

Nearly ten years after Europe's lawmakers adopted the BioTech Directive experts discussed how legal uncertainty still affects the work of IP specialists, researchers and enterprises alike.

Governments are giving companies tax breaks to drive innovation, while cutting direct R&D spending, according to a new OECD report.

The President used the occasion to introduce key issues of her presidency, among them the EPO’s strategic renewal, the increasing volume of patent applications and the challenges SMEs face in submitting applications.

EPO Vice President Curt Edfjäll outlined the cornerstones of the reformulated policy at the Patent Information Conference in Riga on Wednesday.

Werden die Ratifikationsurkunden hinterlegt, so treten das EPÜ 2000 und das Londoner Übereinkommen in den nächsten Monaten für Frankreich in Kraft.

Professor Peter Grünberg from the Research Centre Jülich has been awarded the Nobel Prize for physics. In 2006, he was named "European Inventor of the Year" by the EPO and European Commission.

The municipal council has agreed to name a road near to the EPO buildings in Rijswijk after Johannes Bob van Benthem, the Office's first president who passed away last year.

Member states have agreed to enhance WIPO's development activities in a move that Director General Dr Kamil Idris has called a "milestone decision".

In einer außerordentlichen Sitzung des französischen Parlaments hat die Nationalversammlung am Mittwoch, den 26. September über zwei Gesetzesvorlagen zum europäischen Patentrecht beraten.

The EPO will stop its Special Search Programme at the end of August. The move is part of a plan to redistribute work between the EPO and the patent offices of the member states within the European Patent Network.

Professor George Koumantos, an eminent figure on the EPO Administrative Council and former head of the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation has died, aged 82.

The largest growth in filings was recorded in Korea and China, according to WIPO's Patent Report 2007.

Rules on intellectual property rights should be adapted to help the world's poorest countries, according to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report. The issue was debated earlier this year at the European Patent Forum and in the course of the recent Scenarios for the future project.

The presentation at the "Patent Information for Innovation" conference in Moscow last week marked the beginning of a joint campaign with Rospatent to promote the use of patent information in Russia.

Working parties on an enhanced litigation system and the Community Patent have been scheduled to take place during the second half of 2007.

The European Patent Academy's Jeremy Philpott and business writer Adam Jolly examine best practices in IP management and provide practical advice for businesses that want to make better use of their IP.

The Utilisation Pilot Project (UPP) is offering fast track handling of search applications. The pilot forms part of the strategy for developing a more efficient European Patent Network for the benefit of patent applicants.

Approximately 100 people, including MEPs, NGOs and industry specialists, attended the one-day conference in Brussels, organised by the EPO.

Die Britin Alison Brimelow übernahm am 1. Juli die Amtsgeschäfte als Präsidentin des EPA. Sie ist Nachfolgerin von Alain Pompidou, der das Amt seit Juli 2004 geleitet hatte.

Dutchman Peter Vermeij is the new head of the EPO's Directorate-General 2, Operation Support. He succeeds Pantelis C. Kyriakides (GB/Cyprus), who retired on 30 June.

The conference will look at patenting policy and practice two years after the rejection of the directive on computer-implemented inventions

Patent applications at the European Patent Office reached record levels last year, with around 207 300 applications filed in 2006.

The Norwegian parliament has decided to ratify and accede to the European Patent Convention. It will become a member of the EPO at the beginning of next year.

The commissioner stressed the importance of the Community Patent and a unified jurisdictional system, saying the reforms would bring more legal certainty and make the system more attractive to users.

EPO President Alain Pompidou met with the heads of the US, Japanese, Chinese and Korean patent offices at a meeting in Hawaii earlier this month. Discussions focussed on shared challenges and closer co-operation on patenting issues.

In an April decree the Italian government decided to re-introduce filing and maintenance fees for Italian patents and European patents valid in Italy.

Economists Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie and Dominique Guellec look at the theory behind and the reality of the patent system, explaining the link between innovation, technology diffusion and growth.

Thursday, 26 April is world intellectual property day. The EPO has taken this opportunity to examine the future of patenting and IP in general.

EU Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen called for the rapid introduction of the Community patent in a speech on Thursday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the importance of patents for innovation at the European Patent Forum in Munich on Wednesday. She said promoting innovation and patent protection are the two key challenges for Europe.

The inventors of biodegradable plastics, the airbag’s sensor technology, anti-AIDS drugs and treatments for autoimmune disorders are the winners of the European Inventor of the Year 2007 awards.

More than a decade after the European Patent Office launched its first webpages, the site has undergone a complete overhaul. With a new structure, contemporary design and original content, the new site promises a more modern and user-friendly experience.

President Alain Pompidou and European Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen will host a gala and awards ceremony to announce the European Inventors of the Year 2007 on 18 April in Munich. The event is being held with the European Patent Forum and PATINNOVA 07.

"Europe needs a cost efficient, strong and enforceable patent," German Justice Minister Birgit Zypries said on behalf of the German EU Presidency at a conference in Berlin at the end of March. She and BDI President Thumann stressed that the EPO should continue to play a central role in the European patent system.