The Main SACEPO is composed of 35 high-level practitioners with extensive experience in the IP field, appointed by the President of the EPO, either ad personam or on a proposal from BusinessEurope, epi, AIPPI, FEMIPI, FICPI, Union-IP, as well as IPO, JIPA, JPAA, KINPA, PPAC and the US Bar-EPO Liaison Council.
Focus in the Main SACEPO is on high-level topics such as the implementation of the EPO Strategic Plan 2023, initiatives in the area of Quality Management System, digitisation of the patent grant process, international co-operation, Unitary Patent and Convergence of Practice.
List of members
|
Mr Joachim BEE |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Bettina WANNER |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Sylvia COHEN |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Francesco MACCHETTA |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Bernhard MEHNERT |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Alois PEHAM |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Åsa RYDENIUS |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Jim BOFF |
epi |
|
Mr John GRAY |
epi |
|
Ms Anette HEGNER |
epi |
|
Mr Bogoljub ILIEVSKI |
epi |
|
Mr Francis LEYDER |
epi |
|
Mr Chris MERCER |
epi |
|
Ms Heike VOGELSANG-WENKE |
epi |
|
Mr Raymond E. FARRELL |
AIPLA |
|
Mr Koen BIJVANK |
AIPPI |
|
Mr Markus RIECK |
AIPPI |
|
Mr Paul Georg MAUÉ |
FEMIPI |
|
Mr Beat WEIBEL |
FEMIPI |
|
Mr Antonio PIZZOLI |
FICPI |
|
Mr Robert WATSON |
FICPI |
|
Mr Daniel J. STAUDT |
IPO |
|
Mr Shuichiro IMAI |
JIPA |
|
Mr Akitoshi YAMANAKA |
JIPA |
|
Mr Yoshinori SHIMIZU |
JPAA |
|
Ms Kumiko YAMADA |
JPAA |
|
Mr Yoon HEESANG |
KINPA |
|
Ms Yoon SUN YOUNG |
KINPA |
|
Mr Xuwen HE |
PPAC |
|
Mr Rui GOMES |
UNION-IP |
|
Mr Reinier WIJNSTRA |
UNION-IP |
|
Mr Paul COLETTI |
US Bar-EPO Liaison Council |
|
Mr Rubén BONET |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Andreas GRASSAUER |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Scott ROBERTS |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Olga SIRAKOVA |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Mihaela TEODORESCU |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Magali TOUROUDE PEREIRA |
Ad personam |
The SACEPO Working Party on e-Patent Process is the annual dedicated user forum accompanying the EPO's efforts in achieving Goal 2 of SP2023 of digital transformation.
It is composed of 28 experts in the field of patent prosecution nominated by user associations or selected as ad personam members by the President of the EPO.
Main topics of the meetings include optimising online filing tools, further enhancing the EPO online user area as well as broadening the offering of online fee payment options for users. Other aspects discussed recently are customer service management, including the EPO's Key Account Managers, IT Co-operation, and the EPO's online presence at epo.org.
List of members
|
Mr Joachim BEE |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Dermot ROCHE |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Yannick BIRON |
epi |
|
Ms Marjut HONKASALO |
epi |
|
Ms Theresa STADHEIM |
AIPLA |
|
Ms Ann de CLERCQ |
AIPPI |
|
Ms Manuela LOIDL |
FEMIPI |
|
Mr Kim FINNILÄ |
FICPI |
|
Ms Elena CERBARO |
FICPI |
|
Mr Robert B. FURR, JR. |
IPO |
|
Mr Shuichiro IMAI |
JIPA |
|
Ms Rie KAWAI |
JPAA |
|
Mr Seiji SOGO |
JPAA |
|
Mr Brian Sungpil CHUN |
KINPA |
|
Ms Eun-young HAM |
KINPA |
|
Mr Dong-woo PARK |
KINPA |
|
Mr Manyu LI |
PPAC |
|
Mr Albert ZHANG |
PPAC |
|
Mr Fabian EDLUND |
UNION-IP |
|
Mr Hans MERTENS |
UNION-IP |
|
Mr Paul TAYLOR |
US Bar-EPO Liaison Council |
|
Mr Rainer BÖCKELEN |
Ad personam |
|
Mr David BROPHY |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Dolinda DE PROOST |
Ad personam |
|
Mr John GRAY |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Michael LIEBETANZ |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Catherine MENES |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Magali TOUROUDE PEREIRA |
Ad personam |
The SACEPO Working Party on Guidelines is the bi-annual consultative forum for the annual revisions of Guidelines for Examination in the EPO (EPC Guidelines) and of the Guidelines for Search and Examination at the EPO as PCT Authority (PCT-EPO Guidelines).
It is composed of 12 experts in the field of patent prosecution nominated by user associations or selected as ad personam members by the President of the EPO.
Within the annual revision cycle for the EPC and PCT-EPO Guidelines, SACEPO Working Party on Guidelines has a well-established role to play: each revision cycle starts with a public online consultation on the latest version of the Guidelines; feed-back from this consultation is discussed at the spring meeting of the Working Party; only thereafter are updates to the Guidelines drafted by the EPO which undergo an internal consultation and approval process as a next step. The resulting revisions are then reviewed by Working Party members over the summer and confirmed at the second meeting in autumn.
List of members
|
Mr Alois PEHAM |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Dermot ROCHE |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Heiko SENDROWSKI |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Anette HEGNER |
epi |
|
Mr Manolis SAMUELIDES |
epi |
|
Mr Martin WILMING |
epi |
|
Ms Tamara ELMORE |
AIPPI |
|
Mr Jordi KOX |
FICPI |
|
Ms Joana SANTOS |
UNION-IP |
|
Ms Brigitte CARION-TARAVELLA |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Felix HERMANN |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Gwilym ROBERTS |
Ad personam |
The SACEPO Working Party on Quality is the forum to foster a common understanding of quality between the EPO and the users of the European patent system.
It is composed of four geographical branches (Europe and neighbouring countries, Asia/Oceania, Americas and Africa/Middle-East) with a total of 75 experts in the field of patent prosecution appointed by the President of the EPO, either ad personam or on a proposal from user associations.
An essential feature of the Working Party on Quality are the Stakeholder Quality Assurance Panels (SQAPs) organised since October 2019. These are external assessment exercises held over several days in which external assessors, nominated amongst experienced patent practitioners by the EPO, epi and BusinessEurope, review specific EPO grant files. Each panel is led by two assessors who prepare detailed reports to be discussed with the panel members in order to allow an in-depth analysis of the selected files. The outcomes are then presented in a plenary session of the Working Party on Quality. While the focus of the SQAPs was on novelty and added-subject matter in 2019, the spotlight was on inventive step and clarity in 2021.
The Working Party on Quality is also consulted regularly to ensure the continuous improvement of the EPO's User Satisfaction Surveys. Finally, recent advances within the SP2023's Goal 3 of mastering quality at the EPO are shared and discussed with the Working Party members, for instance, the More Effective Office Actions initiative introducing a clear and uniform structure of precise headings and sub-headings for search opinions.
List of members
|
Mr Francesco MACCHETTA |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Bernhard MEHNERT |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Åsa RYDENIUS |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Maaike SCHAAPMAN |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Anette HEGNER |
epi |
|
Mr Bogoljub ILIEVSKI |
epi |
|
Mr Francis LEYDER |
epi |
|
Ms Heike VOGELSANG-WENKE |
epi |
|
Ms Gaëlle BOUROUT |
AIPPI |
|
Mr Nèstor COROMINAS |
AIPPI |
|
Mr Henning LÜTJENS |
FEMIPI |
|
Mr Paul Georg MAUÉ |
FEMIPI |
|
Mr Axel REMDE |
FICPI |
|
Mr Christian WENDE |
FICPI |
|
Ms Ena PUGATSCH |
IPAA |
|
Mr David PEARCE |
UNION-IP |
|
Mr Jochen KILCHERT |
UNION-IP |
|
Mr Thorsten BAUSCH |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Rubén BONET |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Marek BURY |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Brigitte CARION-TARAVELLA |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Jeroen DU PONT |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Katerina HARTVICHOVA |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Hans-Rainer JAENICHEN |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Mike JENNINGS |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Markus KLOSE |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Katarzyna MATUSIEWICZ |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Winfried SABISCH |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Alexandre TSOUKALIS |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Christian VEJGAARD |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Bettina WANNER |
Ad personam |
List of members
|
Ms Vidisha GARG |
AIPPI |
|
Mr André MEYER |
AIPPI |
|
Ms Duan XIAOLING |
AIPPI |
|
Mr Hirohito KATSUNUMA |
APAA |
|
Mr Michael CAINE |
FICPI |
|
Mr Martin SCHWEIGER |
FICPI |
|
Ms Archana SHANKER |
FICPI |
|
Mr Satoshi AKIYAMA |
JIPA |
|
Ms Kanako MURAKAMI |
JIPA |
|
Ms Masako BARNARD |
JPAA |
|
Ms Kumiko YAMADA |
JPAA |
|
Mr SeHoon CHO |
KINPA |
|
Mr HyunJung KIM |
KINPA |
|
Mr Ju Young KIM |
KINPA |
|
Mr Young Jin HEO |
KPAA |
|
Mr Yixiong ZOU |
PPAC |
|
Mr Albert ZHANG |
PPAC |
|
Mr Stanley LAI |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Fabrice MATTEI |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Kin WAH CHOW |
Ad personam |
List of members
|
Mr Bret A. HRIVNAK |
AIPLA |
|
Mr Matias NOETINGER |
ASIPI |
|
Ms MaryAnne ARMSTRONG |
FICPI |
|
Mr Dean M. HARTS |
IPO |
|
Ms Iris MOK |
US Bar-EPO Liaison Council |
|
Mr Dámaso PARDO |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Luiz Henrique O. do AMARAL |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Maximiliano SANTA CRUZ |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Kiyoshi TSURU |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Juan Carlos GARAVITO |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Kazim AGHA |
Ad personam |
List of members
|
Mr Emmanuel KEDI BEH |
AMOAPI |
|
Mr Joseph ROWAN |
FICPI |
|
Mr David GILSON |
SAIPL |
|
Mr Andrew BAILEY |
SARIMA |
|
Ms Brenda MATANGA |
ZIPTA |
|
Mr Prof. Dr. Youssef ABDALLAT |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Mohammed AL-MASRI |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Mondher AL MENSI |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Salem AL-ZAHRANI |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Abdelhaq AMMANI |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Karim CHAIEB |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Mohamed EL HARZLI |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Mohamed GUEBLAOUI |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Mardson Queiroz McQUAY |
Ad personam |
The SACEPO Working Party on Rules is generating input from user representatives regarding proposals for changes to the legal framework of the EPC, including in particular its Implementing Regulations.
It is composed of 12 experts in the field of patent prosecution nominated by user associations or selected as ad personam members by the President of the EPO.
Topics recently covered include oral proceedings via video-conference, adapting the legal framework to support the digital transformation, further streamlining opposition proceedings, online filing as well as the CNIPA-EPO Pilot on International Searching Authority files at the EPO.
List of members
|
Mr David GOODFELLOW |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Heiko SENDROWSKI |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Leo STEENBEEK |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Marjut HONKASALO |
epi |
|
Mr Chris MERCER |
epi |
|
Mr Martin WILMING |
epi |
|
Mr Heiko DUMLICH |
AIPPI |
|
Mr Henning LÜTJENS |
FEMIPI |
|
Mr Antonio PIZZOLI |
FICPI |
|
Mr Luigi FRANZOLIN |
UNION-IP |
|
Ms Cyra NARGOLWALLA |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Scott ROBERTS |
Ad personam |
This Working Party is composed of experts from patent documentation centres and libraries, experts from industry, and patent attorneys. The group meets once a year at the EPO's Vienna sub-office, providing members with updates on the EPO's products, services, and future projects in the field of patent information.
List of members
|
Mr David GOODFELLOW |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Paul Georg MAUÉ |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Mr Arndt MECKE |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Gudrun OEHLER |
BUSINESSEUROPE |
|
Ms Birgitta GASSNER |
epi |
|
Mr Francis LEYDER |
epi |
|
Mr Chris MERCER |
epi |
|
Mr Paolo PROVVISIONATO |
epi |
|
Mr Philippe BODART |
CEPIUG |
|
Mr Aalt van de KUILEN |
CEPIUG |
|
Mr Charles MADORE |
CEPIUG |
|
Mr Guido MORADEI |
CEPIUG |
|
Mr Henrik SCHREIBER |
CEPIUG |
|
Ms Hannah SOPHIA |
CEPIUG |
|
Ms Katia SØRENSEN |
CEPIUG |
|
Ms Marjolaine THULIN |
CEPIUG |
|
Mr Christian WENDE |
FICPI |
|
Ms Birte BLICHENBERG |
PDG |
|
Mr Torsten GERBER |
PDG |
|
Ms Maike HOUTROUW |
PDG |
|
Ms Bettina de JONG |
PDG |
|
Mr José Ricardo AGUILAR |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Marta BARBA |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Monika HANELT |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Marcell KERESZTY |
Ad personam |
|
Mr Arne KRÜGER |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Hanna LAUREN |
Ad personam |
|
Ms Valérie MIEBACH |
Ad personam |
