​​EPO and AIPPI strengthen ties at their annual meeting

​​The EPO and AIPPI gathered in Munich to address shared priorities, from digital transformation to sustainability and inclusivity in the patent system.​ 

​​On 27 November 2024, the European Patent Office (EPO) hosted the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) for their annual meeting in Munich. Chaired by EPO Vice-President Steve Rowan, the meeting underscored the partnership between the two organisations and their shared commitment to fostering innovation through high-quality patents.  ​ 

​A year of milestones and progress 

​The meeting opened with Vice-President Steve Rowan's address, which highlighted significant achievements over the past year. These included the continued success of the Unitary Patent system, with over 42 000 Unitary Patents registered to date, and uptake rates since the system’s launch of over 30% in EPC states and over 20% globally.  ​ 

​Steve Rowan also provided updates on digitalisation and the integration of artificial intelligence into procedural workflows. He reaffirmed the EPO’s commitment to maintaining excellence and the importance of continuous user feedback to enhance our services. The Office’s efforts here are supported by the publicly available Quality dashboard and the Quality Action Plan 2024. Finally, Steve Rowan highlighted the Office’s support for underrepresented applicants, noting that 34% of Unitary Patent holders are micro-entities, SMEs or individual inventors.   

​AIPPI priorities for 2025 

​AIPPI’s objective is to improve and promote the protection of intellectual property at both international and national levels. The organisation presented its 2024 resolutions and announced study questions for 2025 focusing on compulsory licensing, exhaustion of trade mark rights, AI and copyright, unjustified threats in IP disputes and preliminary injunctions.  ​   

​Fostering collaboration in patent law  

​The discussions with AIPPI focused on aligning patent disclosure requirements and the evolving landscape of substantive patent law harmonisation. Both organisations emphasised the importance of user-centric, balanced approaches in addressing these global challenges.  ​ 

​The meeting concluded with a discussion on future collaborations, including AIPPI's invitation to the EPO to participate in the Yokohama Congress in September 2025. Both organisations expressed enthusiasm for continuing their productive partnership, which exemplifies the power of collaboration in advancing a more innovative, user-friendly and sustainable patent system. ​  

​More about AIPPI, including an interview with the organisation’s Reporter General  

​AIPPI is a non-profit organisation based in Switzerland with more than 8 000 members from over 110 countries. To fulfil its mission, it conducts studies of existing laws and proposes measures to achieve harmonisation internationally.  ​ 

​Find out more about AIPPI in the EPO’s video interview with Ralph Nack, the organisation’s Reporter General. In the interview, Mr Nack elaborates further on AIPPI’s mission and discusses how the patent system might be expected to evolve in the future.