EPO meets with Jio Platforms
On 27 May, the European Patent Office (EPO) held an online meeting with Jio Platforms, India’s largest mobile network operator and an increasingly active user of the European patent system, to discuss quality, innovation and developments in the European patent system.
The Jio Platforms delegation, comprising participants from India, the United States and the United Kingdom, was led by Pradeep Kumar Bhatnagar, Group President and Head of Jio Labs 5G/6G & AI Product Development and Aayush Bhatnagar, Chief Innovation Officer, Jio Platforms Limited. The EPO delegation was led by Vice-President Patent Granting Process Steve Rowan, accompanied by managers from the relevant operational areas.
Dialogue on quality and patent services
The exchange forms part of the EPO’s ongoing efforts under its Quality Action Plan to strengthen dialogue with industry. It provided an opportunity to discuss consistency, efficiency and quality across the patent granting process and to gather feedback from users.
During the meeting, the EPO presented the five drivers of Strategic Plan 2028, with a particular focus on quality, sustainability, geographical outreach, validation agreements and the Unitary Patent system. Dedicated presentations also provided information on EPO filing routes, measures to accelerate the patent granting process and services available to applicants.
In his opening remarks, Mr Bhatnagar welcomed the opportunity for the exchange and underlined the importance of the European market, particularly in relation to intellectual property in the fields of artificial intelligence, 5G/6G, satellite and automation technologies. He also highlighted the company’s patent portfolio, which comprises more than 6 000 patents across India, the United States, Europe and other Patent Cooperation Treaty contracting states.
Standards, SEPs, Unitary Patent and future dialogue
The Observatory’s presentation on standards and standard essential patents (SEPs) generated particular interest, including discussion of recent studies, datasets and events. Standards play an important role in Jio Platforms’ activities in 5G technologies and future developments in 6G.
The discussion also covered the Unitary Patent system and the Unified Patent Court. While Jio Platforms does not currently make use of the Unitary Patent, the company expressed interest in the system and may consider this option in the future.
The exchange concluded on a positive note, with both sides expressing appreciation for the open dialogue and a shared commitment to continued co-operation. This includes plans for a technical meeting in late 2027 to discuss the development of Jio Platforms’ patent applications at the EPO.
About Jio Platforms
Jio Platforms Ltd., a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, is the largest mobile network operator in India and the third-largest operator in the world. It has developed an ecosystem that includes network infrastructure, devices, applications, content, service experiences and affordable tariffs for its users. Jio Platforms is unique in being designed as a Mobile Video Network from the ground up. It is future-ready and can be easily upgraded to support higher data capacities, as technologies evolve toward 6G and beyond.
