EPO meets with IP professional umbrella organisation FEMIPI

As part of its ongoing engagement with users, the EPO met with the European Federation of Intellectual Property Agents in Industry (FEMIPI) on 27 May in Munich. The meeting enabled a constructive dialogue with the European professional umbrella organisation representing IP professionals, agents and IP owners across 11 European countries.

On 27 May, European Patent Office (EPO) Vice-President Patent Granting Process Steve Rowan and a team from the EPO welcomed a delegation from the European Federation of Intellectual Property Agents in Industry (FEMIPI) at the EPO in Munich. The delegation from FEMIPI was led by newly elected FEMIPI President Henning Lütjens.

The discussion provided an opportunity to update FEMIPI on recent developments at the EPO, gain insights into the needs of IP professionals in industry, and explore potential areas of future co-operation. The meeting forms part of the EPO’s ongoing dialogue with national and international user associations, just one of the mechanisms through which the Office gathers important feedback from its users.

The EPO outlined its quality initiatives, such as the 2025 Quality Action Plan, which focuses on investments in recruitment, training and new tools – including those which leverage artificial intelligence – to support examiners in their work. FEMIPI representatives were also informed about the new edition of the annual Quality Report, which will be published soon, and about the User Satisfaction Survey results, which are expected in the autumn.

Digital transformation update

Another key topic of discussion was the EPO’s digital transformation. The EPO presented its MyEPO services tool, a one-stop shop for all proceedings-related activities. FEMIPI representatives were also briefed on the latest developments in online filing, including the planned decommissioning of eOLF at the end of 2025. The EPO reiterated its clear commitment to becoming paperless by 2027.

Growing interest in the Unitary Patent

The meeting included an update on the latest developments related to the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court. With the second anniversary of its launch approaching, the Unitary Patent continues to gain traction, with more than 57 000 requests for unitary effect filed to date. FEMIPI representatives noted the growing interest among patent applicants and mentioned the system’s benefits – particularly its simplicity and lower costs – for those seeking patent protection in Europe. The discussion further underscored the clear importance of the Unitary Patent for European competitiveness and the recommendation that all EU member states join the Unitary Patent system, as set out in the recent Draghi report.

Building on this constructive exchange, both organisations expressed interest in further collaboration, including in areas such as the work of the EPO’s Observatory on Patents and Technology.

About FEMIPI

is the European professional umbrella organisation representing the interests of IP professionals, agents and IP owners in industry and has represented these users since 1971. It comprises 11 national associations from Austria, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK.