Programme

Please note that the time zone for the programme is GMT+2.  

• Download the programme (PDF, 360 KB)
• Moderator: Giovanni Arca, programme area manager Professional Representatives, European Patent Academy, EPO
  

Speakers

Alexandre Bitton, FR, team manager/examiner, Mobility and Mechatronics, EPO The Hague. Studied material science at Ecole Européenne d'ingénieurs en Génie des Matériaux Nancy and at Luleå Tekniska Universitet. Worked at Saab Automobile AB (Trollhättan, Sweden) as a test engineer. Joined the EPO in 2001 as an examiner in the field of locks and keys. Currently working in the field of furniture and show stands. Has been involved in coaching newcomers. Member of the Opposition directorate. Passed the EQE in 2008 and obtained the Diploma on Patent litigation in Europe from CEIPI in 2018. Currently completing an LLM in Industrial Property (CEIPI).

Frédéric Bockstahl, FR, examiner, EPO The Hague. Holds a PhD in nuclear chemistry (Strasbourg University, FR). Joined the EPO in 2001 as a patent examiner in the field of applied physics. His domain of competence ranges from sampling and measuring materials, including optical materials, especially ophthalmic lenses, to chemical analysis. Has been involved in opposition procedures as first member and chairperson in numerous cases in technical fields ranging from mechanics to chemistry. Responsible for drafting and coordinating opposition training courses officewide.

Theodora Butkowskyj-Walkiw, DE, senior expert, Healthcare, Biotechnology and Chemistry, EPO Munich. PhD in organic chemistry. Joined the EPO as a patent examiner in the pharmaceutical field in 1987. Since then has worked in various fields including polymers, industrial chemistry, liquid crystals, pure organic chemistry and pesticides. Opposition trainer and member of Examination Committee II (in charge of the opposition paper) since 2000. Became a senior expert in the sector of pure and applied organic chemistry in 2015. Since 2018 member of the Opposition directorate in the Healthcare, Biotechnology and Chemistry sector.

Caroline Demoëte, FR, head of department, Business Application Layer Operations, EPO The Hague. MSc in automation and software engineering. Joined the EPO in 2008 as application manager. Currently also project manager of the Modern Meeting and Videoconferencing Solutions project.

Margarita García Martín, ES, European patent attorney. Holds a PhD in chemistry (University of Warwick, UK) and a postdoctoral qualification (Technical University of Eindhoven, NL). Started as patent advisor in the pharma sector in Spain and then moved to the cosmetics sector, where she qualified as a European patent attorney in 2012. Joined the IP department of Total Research & Technology Feluy in 2015 and has since represented her employer in more than 50 opposition cases in the polymer field.

Julia Gwilt, GB, European patent attorney. After a mathematics degree at Cambridge University and further study at the Ecole Centrale de Paris, joined the patent profession and qualified as a European patent attorney in 2001. Has worked in private practice in the Cambridge area for over 20 years specialising in software inventions, including co-ordinating a portfolio of over 60 opposition matters. Oversaw the UK professional examinations until March 2020 and currently represents the UK on the epi education committee.

Suzanne Herrera, SE, Director, Operational Quality and Risk Management, EPO Munich. MSc in chemical engineering. Joined the EPO as a patent examiner in the pharmaceutical field in 1988, becoming a director in the applied polymers sector in 2012. From 2018 Director Opposition and Central Formalities in the Healthcare, Biotechnology and Chemistry sector. Since September 2020 Director Operational Quality and Risk Management. 

Britta Kley, DE, lawyer, Patent Law, EPO Munich. Studied law at the University of Trier and the University of East Anglia. Doctor of Laws. Worked as a litigator for an international law firm. Joined the EPO in 2004 and Directorate Patent Law in 2012.

Francis Leyder, BE, European patent attorney. Studied analytical chemistry and obtained a PhD before joining Labofina, Research Centre of the Petrofina Group, in a position combining documentation and patent work. Qualified as a European patent attorney in 1988 and has since represented his employer or an affiliate in well over hundred opposition cases. After a merger with the Total Group, served as head of the Patents Department at Total Research & Technology Feluy until the end of 2015. Chaired the European Patent Practice Committee of epi from 2008 to 2017. Currently President of epi and also one of the epi delegates on the SACEPO Subcommittee on Patent Documentation and Information (SACEPO/PDI).

Christian Rupp, DE, European patent attorney. Joined Mitscherlich in 1994, becoming a partner in 1997. Heads the firm's department for chemistry, life sciences and pharmacology while remaining active in a variety of other technical areas. Specialises in drafting co-operation agreements between R&D institutions. While working closely with the firm's lawyers on infringement cases before the German courts, has conducted approximately 250 opposition cases before the EPO. Contributes to the Mitscherlich Opposition Update newsletter.

Yolanda Sánchez García, ES, European Patent Register product marketing manager, Patent Knowledge, EPO Vienna. Holds a PhD in organic chemistry (Universidad de Barcelona and the Molecular Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA), a postdoctoral qualification (Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Munich) and a postgraduate degree in marketing. Responsible for promotion, training and market research in relation to the European Patent Register. She is also closely involved in the planning and development of new Register services and features, including the Register Alert service, the Federated Register and the unitary patent register. Joined the EPO in Vienna in2002 as a project manager in the Co-operation department and moved to the Promotion department in 2006.

Doris Thums, DE, head of department, Opposition and Substantive Patent Law, Patent Law, EPO Munich. Studied law in Freiburg and Munich. Received her PhD in patent law in 1993. Worked as a freelancer for the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law between 1993 and 1997. In1991 she joined the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and worked there in the legal department and as a trade mark examiner. Joined the EPO and Directorate Patent Law in 1997, where she is head of department for opposition, substantive patent law and computer-implemented inventions. Co-author of the Benkard EPCcommentary.

John Yates, GB/DE, senior expert, Mobility and Mechatronics, EPO Munich. Examiner in search, examination and opposition. Joined the EPO in 1989 and first chaired opposition proceedings in 1995. Member of the quality assurance team, regularly giving presentations to fellow examiners on assorted topics related to search, examination and opposition, and patent law.