Programme

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.

Sonja Harm, DE, head interpreter, EPO Munich. Professional conference interpreter. Before joining the EPO as head of interpreting services in February 2019, she worked for the German Bundestag as head of the Language Service (2016-2018), head interpreter (2006-2016) and as a conference interpreter (2000-2018). Before that again, she worked at the German Federal Ministry of Defence (1998-2000). She holds a master's degree in conference interpreting from Mainz/Germersheim University (1994-1997) and the ISTI (Institut supérieur de traducteurs et interprètes) in Brussels (1992-1994). 

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.

Birger Koblitz, DE, head of department, Information Security, Chief Information Security Officer, EPO Munich. Holds a PhD in High Energy Physics and worked on Cloud computing at CERN from 2004 to 2009. Joined the EPO in 2009 as an examiner in IT security. Moved to the Business Information Technology area in 2019.

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.

Xavier Seuba, ES, Director, Patent Academy and EQE, EPO Munich. Prior to joining the EPO, he was Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, and Academic Co-ordinator and Scientific Responsible at the Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI), where he was the Director of the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe, among other programmes in the areas of technology transfer and pharmaceutical patents. He has also worked as a consultant for several international organisations (e.g. WIPO, WHO, UNCTAD, UNHCHR, IDB, EUIPO) and governments in the context of international trade negotiations and in normative and policy reform impacting intellectual property, pharmaceutical regulation and innovation policies. In the field of dispute resolution, he has acted as arbiter in patent-related disputes. With more than one hundred scientific publications - including nine books, in the areas of IP enforcement, trade and IP, and standardisation - he belongs to several academic associations.

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.