Search and Examination Matters 2026

Abderrahim Moumen
Operational Director, European Patent Office (EPO)

Dr. Abderrahim Moumen has a Ph.D. in Telecommunications and Radar Technologies from Delft University of Technology and is currently director in the field of digital technologies, Advanced Mobile and Intelligent Networks, at the European Patent Office (EPO).  He plays a key role in shaping the EPO’s approach to emerging technologies, serving as Co-Chair of the AI and Emerging Technologies Task Force in operations, a member of the Computer-Implemented Inventions (CII) Working Group, and the Contact Director for Standards. Additionally, he has worked with the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), reinforcing the EPO’s impact within the European and global patent landscape. 

Alain Dumont, 
Judge, Unified Patent Court

Alain Dumont studied electrical engineering in Belgium. He joined the EPO in 1989 as a substantive examiner and subsequently worked as a quality auditor. In 2005, he was appointed as a technical member of the EPO's Boards of Appeal and, in 2023, as a technically qualified judge of the Unified Patent Court. 

Alexander Heidrich
Examiner, EPO

Alexander Heidrich is an Examiner at the European Patent Office working in the fields of healthcare informatics, bioinformatics and chemoinformatics. He joined the EPO in 2017 and holds a Master’s degree and a PhD in Bioinformatics. His technical focus includes AI and machine-learning applications in life sciences. 

Andrei Stefan
Team Manager, EPO

Andrei Stefan holds a Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from the University of Strasbourg (FR), a MSc from Aalborg University (DK) and a BSc from the Polytechnic University (RO). He worked at Princeton University as a research collaborator and in the telecommunications industry as a network engineer before joining the EPO as a patent examiner in the field of telecommunications (2013). At the EPO he is managing a team of 12 patent examiners, covering diverse fields. Apart from search and examination of patent applications, Andrei is also an active trainer for newcomers since 2018, the year in which he also passed the European qualifying examination (EQE). 

Angel Aledo Lopez
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer, EPO

Angel Aledo Lopez joined the European Patent Office in January 2019 and was appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in March 2019. In January 2025, he took on the position of Chief Operating Officer, which he combines with his responsibilities as CTO. During his career, he has held different positions in both technical and managerial roles. He has a deep understanding of the IP domain, over two decades of extensive experience in the field, and a strong interest in emerging technologies such as AI and cloud computing. 

Arie Blokland
Patent Attorney, epi

Arie Blokland, Managing partner at AOMB (Algemeen Octrooi- en Merkenbureau), European and Dutch patent attorney and member of the Supervisory Board of AIPEX. Arie did his study Chemical Engineering at Technical University Delft and entered the patent profession in 1994. Predominantly works within the chemistry and chemical engineering fields, with particular expertise in optical fibers, industrial catalysts and fibre boards. EPO oppositions represent a large portion of his practice and routinely represents patentees and opponents in oppositions and appeal hearings at the EPO. Moreover, Arie is also experienced in restitutio in integrum cases (Article 122; Re-establishment of rights) both before the Netherlands IP Office and the EPO. 

Åsa Ribbe
Principal Director, EPO

Since January 2025, Åsa Ribbe is Principal Director for Search and Patent Grant Process Products at the European Patent Office.

Åsa joined the EPO in 1997 as a patent examiner in Telecommunications. Over the course of her career as examiner, team manager, director and principal director in DG1 she has gained extensive experience across the entire patent grant procedure, including classification, search, examination and opposition.

In her current role, she focuses on the strategic development, integration and operational delivery of search and patent grant process products, including the responsible use of digitalisation and AI to support quality, efficiency and legal certainty, while ensuring that examiners remain fully in control of substantive decisions.

Åsa holds an MSc in Engineering Physics from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. 

Barry Moore
Patent Attorney, epi

Barry Moore joined Murgitroyd in August 2021 following the acquisition of Hanna Moore + Curley, the firm he co-founded in 2003. A Chartered Physicist with over 25 years’ patent experience, Barry has prosecuted thousands of patent applications across fields such as telecommunications, software, and medical devices, and has extensive expertise in EPO hearings and international litigation. Recognized as an IP Star and a member of the IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders, Barry is a key member of Murgitroyd’s award-winning Technology, Media, and Telecoms Team. 

Bart van Wezenbeek
Patent Attorney, epi

Bart is a Dutch and European patent attorney, with master’s degrees in molecular biology and civil law, who started of his career as a patent searcher in a pharmaceutical company. After passing the EQE he has worked in a biotech start-up and the last part of his career in private practice. Next to his patent practice he has been involved in teaching patent law and in the establishment of a certification exam for patent information professionals. After retirement he has started his own law firm and he is very active within the professional education committee of epi. 

Bastian Best
Patent Attorney, epi

As a European Patent Attorney in private practice, Bastian Best brings a practitioner’s rigor to the integration of artificial intelligence within the patent system. He is a prominent educator in the field, having developed specialized training programs that equip attorneys with the technical skills to leverage AI effectively in drafting and prosecution. By bridging the gap between legal practice and tool development, he provides a pragmatic perspective on deploying these technologies to enhance both quality and efficiency. His insights offer a clear view of the profession’s evolution, grounded in the daily realities of modern patent practice. 

Benjamin Grau
Patent Attorney, epi

Dr. Benjamin Filip Grau is a German and European Patent Attorney and Partner at Fleuchaus & Gallo (Munich). He has been representing clients before the European Patent Office since 2015, following a scientific career in biology including a PhD and a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship. He is a member of the epi Online Communications Committee (OCC) and an epi delegate in EPO working groups. 

Carlos Rivero
Director, EPO

Carlos Rivero is a Director in DG1 Operations since 2006. His academic background is Aerospace Engineering (Rome University La Sapienza). He worked in aerospace projects such as the International Space Station and research satellites in Alenia Spazio (Italy) and joined the European Patent Office in 1990, working for 15 years as a patent examiner in search, examination and opposition in the fields of aerospace, automotive vehicles and business methods. His present Directorate is Advanced Computing and Multimedia Technology, covering technologies in AI, quantum computing and digital audio video media. 

Christoph Ernst
Vice-President Legal and International Affairs, EPO

Christoph Ernst is in charge of International Cooperation with IP Offices and stakeholders inside and outside Europe, Patent Information, Patent Knowledge and Legal Affairs. As a member of the top management team, he is involved in a broad range of strategic matters.

Before joining the EPO, he held leadership positions at the German Federal Ministry of Justice for over two decades, where under his supervision and leadership a range of sophisticated legislative projects have been successfully concluded, starting with rules on financial markets and moving on to intellectual property, with legislation on patent and copyright law and acts to prepare and implement the Unitary Patent and the EU Trade Mark Directive.

He is the author of a number of publications and articles and a key speaker at international conferences. 

Claudia Schwarz
Patent attorney, epi

Dr. Claudia Schwarz is a Computer Scientist (Diplom Informatik, TUM), German and European Patent Attorney as well as UPC representative, and founder of the law firm Schwarz + Kollegen Patentanwälte. With 30 years of practical IP experience, she is co-author of two books on computer-implemented inventions and patent protection for software-related matters and AI. Claudia is a regular speaker on digital technology and IP, and founder of the non-profit organisation Women in IP. 

Cristina Russo dos Santos
Team Manager, EPO

Cristina Russo dos Santos is a Team Manager in DG1/Operations overseeing two teams of examiners in the Digital technology community. Prior to the EPO, Cristina worked for over 15 years in research and academia, where she held the position of Invited Professor at the University of Toulon, France. She holds a PhD in Computer Science and Networking and a MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering. 

Eugenio Archontopoulos
Team Manager, EPO

Eugenio leads a team of 48 patent examiners specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing Technologies. He has led a project to develop and implement streamlined, modern rules and processes for the Patent Grant Process, collaborated with the EPO’s chief economists and external experts on the econometric aspects of patenting, and discussed the EPO's approach to Computer-Implemented Inventions in various fora. Before joining the EPO, he studied at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy) and the Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherlands). 

Eyüp Konak
BoA

Eyüp Konak is a Technically Qualified Member in the Board of Appeal 3.5.05, which deals with appeal cases in the fields of telecommunications, mobile end devices, graphical user interfaces, medical and bioinformatics, hearing devices and artificial intelligence. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science and worked as a software engineer in the industry, before joining the EPO as a Patent Examiner in 2002. He was appointed as a Technically Qualified Member in January 2018. 

Florian Meyer
Patent Attorney, epi

Florian Meyer is a patent attorney with a technical degree in computer-science and engineering (Dipl.-Ing.), specialized in the field of computer-implemented inventions, especially artificial intelligence and related fields. He provides comprehensive support to clients in securing patents for innovative software solutions, as well as in protecting designs and trademarks — always with a focus on the specific needs of the IT and high-tech sectors. He represented clients in multiple proceedings before the UPC, including proceedings concerning standard essential patents with parallel EPO opposition proceedings and has extensive litigation experience in the German national courts. 

Jan-Christian Schütte
Patent Attorney, epi

Dr. Jan-Christian Schuette is a Managing Partner at the IP law firm noventive and heads noventive's Berlin office. He specializes in software inventions, including those leveraging AI, and uses AI Co-Pilots to draft patent applications. His technical background is a doctorate in biophysics. After leading an in-house IP team in industry, Dr. Schuette transitioned to private practice in 2025.  He is a European and German Patent Attorney and holds a Master’s degree in IP Law and Management from the University of Strasbourg. 

Javier Pose Rodriguez
Examiner, EPO

Javier Pose Rodríguez has been an examiner at the European Patent Office (EPO) since 2002, specializing in the fields of electronics, data retrieval, and artificial intelligence. His primary responsibilities include conducting search and examination of patent applications in these technical domains. 

In addition to his core duties, he has experience in opposition proceedings within the field of mobility and mechatronics and has worked with the Chief Economist Unit at the EPO on a part-time basis, contributing to the development of patent-based indicators and the analysis of technological trends across various sectors. 

He successfully passed the European Qualifying Examination (EQE) in 2015. 

Jean-Michel Wulveryck
Senior expert, EPO

Jean-Michel Wulveryck holds a PhD in Physics. He is an examiner for 22 years, and a senior expert since 2017. He is mainly working in the field of the detection of radiations and homeland security (Tomography, x-ray scanning technology, dosimetry, ...). He is very active in terms of Quality and regularly involved in training of new colleagues and exchanging with external stakeholders. 

Julia Gwilt 
Patent Attorney, epi

Julia Gwilt has worked in private practice in the Cambridge area for over 25 years specialising in software inventions. More recently, she has been involved in supporting companies protect their inventions in the emerging fields of bioinformatics and artificial intelligence.  Before qualifying as a European patent attorney in 2001, Julia did a mathematics degree at Cambridge University and further study at the Ecole Centrale de Paris. She is currently the Chair of the Professional Education Committee for epi. 

Marek Bury
Patent Attorney, epi

Marek Bury, PhD, is the co-founder of Bury & Bury, a Poland-based firm of European and Polish Patent and Trademark Attorneys, recognized for its technical excellence and client-focused approach. Holding a PhD in Telecommunications and a strong background in information and communication technologies (ICT), Marek specializes in intellectual property protection across a broad range of technical fields, including electrotechnics, mechanics, telecommunications, software, and IT. His legal education further qualifies him to represent clients before the Unified Patent Court. 

Marek is particularly committed to innovation in the patent process, with a strong emphasis on the digital optimization of communication with patent offices. His expertise supports clients in navigating complex patent procedures efficiently and securely. 
In addition to his professional practice, Marek serves as Chair of the ICT Subcommittee and the Quality Working Group of the European Patent Practice Committee of the epi. 

Martin Müller
BoA

Martin Müller studied computer science (Informatik) at the University of Karlsruhe and received a Dr.-Ing. degree in computer science from Saarland University. He joined the EPO as an examiner in 1998, where he worked on computer-related inventions, and was appointed Member of the Boards of Appeal in 2010. In 2019 he became chairman of Technical Board of Appeal 3.5.06, one of the boards dealing with computing technology and artificial intelligence, and Member of the Enlarged Board of Appeal. Martin has published and is a regular presenter on patent-related matters. 

Matthias Ulbrecht
Senior Expert, EPO

Joined the Office in 2001. MD in Medicine, LMU Munich, Habilitation in Anthropology and Human Genetics LMU Munich, Involved as First Examiner or Chair in may CRISPR/Cas oppositions. 

Nina Ferara
Patent Attorney, epi

Nina Ferara works as a patent attorney supporting the robotics and software divisions at the UK Atomic Energy Authority - a research organisation in Oxfordshire, UK, leading the delivery of sustainable fusion energy. Prior to this role, she worked in-house at Porsche and IBM in Germany. She trained and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in private practice - at a boutique patent law firm in Munich. Prior to her career in IP, Nina studied physics and mathematics: she received her BSc from McGill University in Canada and her MSc from Ludwig Maximilian University in Germany. Nina is an epi tutor and a member of several epi Bodies focused on education, diversity & inclusion, and IP awareness. She tutors candidates preparing for the EQE and develops training materials. 

Norbert Glaser
BoA

Dr. Norbert Glaser is a Member of the Boards of Appeal at the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich since 2017, following an 18-year career at the EPO as a patent examiner. His technical work spans computer-implemented inventions, including software engineering, virtual machines/emulation, information retrieval, image processing, and digital business/administrative computing. He has also held governance and leadership roles in European science networks and earlier worked in applied R&D at INRIA, CERN, IBM and Siemens. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and a Diplom-Informatiker degree from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, specializing in artificial intelligence and pattern recognition. 

Peter Thomsen
President, epi

Peter R. Thomsen serves as an observer at the EPC Administrative Council and the UPC Administrative Committee. He is a qualified European and Swiss Patent Attorney and a UPC Representative.

He studied Biotechnology and holds a MAS in Intellectual Property. Peter has worked for approximately 24 years in-house within the healthcare industry, most recently focusing on a variety of IP policy topics. 

He has been involved in a variety of patent strategy and litigation activities.

Philip T. Mazoki
US Patent Attorney

Philip Mazoki an intellectual property attorney who practices in patent prosecution, IP strategy, and portfolio management, focusing on electrical engineering and software technologies such as simulation, 3D modeling, cybersecurity, machine learning, artificial intelligence, IoT, and electro-mechanical systems. He has extensive experience developing patent portfolios for computer-based modeling and simulation technologies across industries including manufacturing, transportation, materials, pharmaceuticals, and energy. Amongst other examples, Philip also builds and manages cybersecurity patent portfolios addressing vulnerability assessment, attack resilience, and threat protection.

Rainer Kaysan
Head of the PATLIB Department, EPO

Rainer Kaysan heads the PATLIB department at the European Patent Office, connecting and energising stakeholders across the intellectual property landscape to facilitate the effective use of IP assets. The department supports a network of over 300 patent information centres (PATLIBs) in 39 countries, a powerful contribution to the European innovation ecosystem empowering businesses, universities and research institutes to maximise the value of their intellectual property and to drive technology transfer and commercialisation.

Rainer also brings extensive experience as a patent examiner, particularly in the aerospace sector, and has chaired many opposition proceedings at the EPO. 

Sonia Perez Diez
Director Online User Engagement, EPO

Sonia Perez Diez joined the EPO in 2020 as Director of IT Planning, overseeing areas such as IT Project Office, IT Budget, Sourcing, Risks, Compliance and Information Security. During her time at the EPO, Sonia has played a significant role in the governance and execution of the SP2023. In 2024, Sonia transitioned to the role of Director of Online User Engagement, where she continues to drive the evolution of MyEPO services within the framework of SP2028. In addition, Sonia is Programme Manager for the Online User Engagement programme, focusing on strengthening the EPO’s online presence and engagement with external stakeholders. 

Stefan Klocke
Director, EPO

He studied Physics and joined the EPO in 1989. He worked as examiner and moved into the Information Management department in 1999. He started the initial Ansera developments and managed the Search Programme (2020 to 2025) to complete Ansera as the single search platform of the EPO. Since 2022 he is Director for all aspects of Search, Classification and Prior Art Data Management. 

Steve Rowan
Vice-President Patent Granting Process, EPO

Stephen Rowan joined the EPO in January 2019 as Vice-President for DG1 – Patent Granting Process. He is responsible for the entire Patent Granting Process, He is also the Office lead on Diversity & Inclusion. Located in The Hague, he is Site Manager for the branch of the EPO, which is the largest international organisation in the Netherlands. 

Before joining the EPO, Stephen Rowan held a number of senior leadership roles in the Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom. 

He has an LLB (Hons) from the University of the West of England.