Bilateral meeting between the EPO and BDPA

EPO’s Vice-President hosted a delegation led by the President of the Association of German Patent Attorneys (BDPA) at the EPO’s headquarters in Munich 

On 11 April, EPO Vice-President for Legal and International Affairs Christoph Ernst hosted a delegation led by the President of the Association of German Patent Attorneys (BDPA) at the EPO headquarters in Munich. This exchange formed part of the EPO’s outreach activities with national and international user associations, which enable the Office to receive direct feedback from users. The productive meeting, chaired by the EPO Vice-President, offered an opportunity to explore new areas of common interest with BDPA in a friendly and collaborative spirit.

Recent EQE reform and major quality initiatives

The BDPA commended the EPO’s ongoing efforts to involve users in the EQE reform and acknowledged that the new examination format has been well received by patent professionals. Participants recognised the promising start but underlined that the procedure should be closely monitored.

To illustrate the EPO’s major quality initiatives, the association was presented with and discussed the 2025 Quality Action Plan, which emphasises investment in recruitment, training and tools – including AI – to support examiners in search and examination. As the quality journey continues, the BDPA was invited to consult the upcoming annual Quality Report and User Satisfaction Survey results, to be published in June.

Continued growth of the UP/UPC system

The EPO provided an update on the most recent developments regarding the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court. With the second anniversary of the Unitary Patent approaching, the adoption of the new system is steadily increasing, with more than 53 000 requests for unitary effect filed to date.

BDPA reported on the growing interest of patent applicants in the new system and confirmed the benefits of the UP to those seeking patent protection in Europe, particularly in terms of simplification and cost-efficiency. The associated benefits of the UP system are widely recognised and underpinned by the vision set out in the recent Draghi report on the future of European competitiveness.

Building on the fruitful discussion, both organisations expressed optimism about the future, setting the stage for enhanced collaboration in various areas, such as the EPO’s Observatory on Patents and Technology.

More on the BDPA, including an interview with its President

Bundesverband Deutscher Patentanwälte (BDPA) is the Federal Association of German Patent Attorneys and has represented freelance patent attorneys in Germany since 1974. Aside from the Chamber of Patent Attorneys (Patentanwaltskammer), it is the largest German association of the profession.

In a video interview with the EPO, BDPA President Detlef von Ahsen shares further insights into the association’s mission and its vision for the future of the patent system.

To complement this, the EPO’s Vice-President for Legal and International Affairs, Christoph Ernst, took part in a written interview with BDPA, reaffirming the value of deepening dialogue between the EPO and its users.