News

A documentary invites the public to explore the EPO’s art collection which will also be made digitally accessible

President António Campinos addressed Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) on the latest developments in the European patent system on 12 April.

SACEPO Working Parties on Rules, e-Patent Process, and Patent Information and Documentation all met virtually in March.

The President of the European Patent Office (EPO), António Campinos, and the President of the ELLIS Society, Bernhard Schölkopf, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 25 March.

Online Filing 2.0 incorporates and improves the features of new online filing (CMS), and offers a more user-friendly interface.

The new vision statement of the Trilateral offices has been agreed, which originates from the 38th Trilateral Conference in December 2020. During the virtual conference, the heads of the European Patent Office (EPO), Japan Patent Office (JPO) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) committed to jointly develop the new future direction for the Trilateral Co-operation.

New Article 15a of the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal (RPBA) on oral proceedings by videoconference enters into force on 1 April 2021

During the pendency of referral G 1/21 concerning the legality of oral proceedings by VICO, oral proceedings in examination and opposition will continue to be held by VICO as scheduled

Contribute to the EPO’s public consultation on the first draft of its “Towards a new normal” orientation document assessing how the EPO could develop in light of the dramatically altered environment.

Statistics published today by the European Patent Office (EPO) show that innovation in healthcare drove patenting activity in 2020: Medical technology was the leading field for inventions in terms of volume, while pharmaceuticals and biotechnology were the fastest-growing areas.

A new blueprint for IP5 Offices’ joint endeavours in response to the challenges and opportunities arising from new emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.

The European Inventor Award will take place on 17 June 2021 and for the first time in the history of the event, the ceremony will be entirely digital.

On Monday 15 March 2021, the EPO will begin activating a BOT protection system for the European Patent Register.

The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office issued decision G 1/19 (Simulations) today in which it held that the established case law on computer-implemented inventions (COMVIK approach) applies to computer-implemented simulations.

The Office marked Monday's International Women's Day with a panel discussion highlighting women in science.

EPO successfully holds first-ever online edition of the European Qualifying Examination

EPO President António Campinos addressed a celebration gala today (1 March) to mark the 125th anniversary of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIPO).

On 25 February, the EPO together with Licensing Executive Society International (LESI) held the first edition of a new online forum designed especially for high-growth technology businesses and small and medium-sized technology enterprises, the major drivers of Europe's economic growth.

You can submit your comments in any one of the EPO's three official languages via an online form. The deadline for your contributions is 12 April 2021.

EPO President António Campinos met the President of the National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI), Cláudio Vilar Furtado, on 25 February to discuss co-operation on enhancing the patent system and better supporting innovators in Europe and Brazil

EPO Academic Research Programme publishes five final research reports

The first two common practices - in the areas of examination of unity of invention, and designation of the inventor - were endorsed by member states at a meeting of the organisation's Administrative Council in December 2020.

EPO President António Campinos spoke about the importance of supporting innovation at the opening of a high-level online conference on IP held on the occasion of Portugal's EU Council Presidency.

EPO President António Campinos and the Director General of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), Juan Lozano, met virtually today to take stock of joint efforts to improve patent services and support innovators since the signing of an advanced co-operation agreement between the two offices last year.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) on 4 February 2021 to offer TUM graduates the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience as trainees in both Offices.

A new study released today by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) shows that companies which own at least one patent, registered design or trade mark generate on average 20% higher revenues per employee than companies which do not own any of those intellectual property rights (IPRs).

The EPO and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) have announced that the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme between the two offices became permanent on 6 January 2021.

The world's five largest IP offices granted 1.6 million patents in 2019, an increase of 5.9% on the previous year, according to the latest IP5 Statistics Report published earlier this week on the IP5 website.

The Administrative Council amends Rules 117 and 118 EPC to permit the hearing of parties, witnesses and experts by videoconference.

The European Patent Office (EPO) conference "The role of patents in an AI driven world" came to a conclusion today. The two-day online event provided a platform to discuss artificial intelligence (AI), its impact on intellectual property (IP), and the potential benefits it could bring to patent offices.

The National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI) celebrated its 50th anniversary on 11 December 2020, with messages coming from national and international organisations from around the world.

EPO President António Campinos delivered a keynote speech yesterday (10 December), followed by a joint panel discussion with the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Andrei Iancu, at the Center for Intellectual Property (CIP) FORUM 2020.

A study published today by the European Patent Office (EPO) shows that innovation in fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies has accelerated significantly worldwide.

Co-operation between the EPO and the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) was on the agenda yesterday at the 60th session of OAPI's Administrative Council, held in Lomé, Togo and also virtually.

The heads of the European Patent Office (EPO), Japan Patent Office (JPO) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), known as the Trilateral offices, held their 38th annual meeting on 8 December 2020, hosted by the EPO.

EPO President António Campinos and Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Shen Changyu discussed recent developments and future co-operation between the offices at their annual bilateral meeting today.

Award ceremony recognises top achievers in first ever AI challenge

Today, the German Parliament adopted with the necessary two-thirds majority the ratification bill on the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA).

The EPO's 15th annual East meets West conference, and the first to be held in a virtual format ended yesterday and offered a platform for an exchange on global intellectual property (IP) topics, with particular focus on Asia.

A new study published by the European Patent Office (EPO) today, 24 November 2020, shows that European universities and public research organisations use European patents as the main instrument to exploit their inventions commercially.

The 36th annual meeting of the US Bar-EPO Liaison Council took place yesterday (19 November), held for the first time as a virtual event.

20th SACEPO Working Party on Guidelines evaluated about 100 comments

The Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia celebrated its centenary on 17 November 2020. To mark the occasion, the Serbian IPO hosted a special virtual conference on intellectual property which was attended by representatives from the areas of politics and IP.

As part of the European Patent Office’s continuous efforts to attract and develop new talent, our job shadowing day took place on Tuesday 17 November.

Following the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding last year between the EPO and Licensing Executives Society International (LESI), EPO President António Campinos and LESI President Audrey Yap signed the first joint work plan for 2020-21 during a video conference on 16 November.

The European Patent Office (EPO) is announcing today further measures to improve access to justice in relation to opposition hearings held by videoconference (VICO), in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which imposes restrictions on travel and health risks for all in-person meetings.

The 30th annual EPO Patent Information Conference concluded yesterday, marking the first time in the event's history that it was hosted online.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by EPO President António Campinos and Colombia's Superintendent of Industry and Commerce Andrés Barreto during a virtual meeting yesterday.

This week marks five years since the entry into force of a validation agreement between the European Patent Organisation and the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova (AGEPI).

EPO President António Campinos held his first meeting with Kim Yong Rae, the new Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, on Friday, 30 October 2020

As part of continued efforts to consult, inform and engage its users, the EPO recently hosted a videoconference with the Standing Advisory Committee (SACEPO) Working Party on Rules.

Chinese patent applicants will be able to designate EPO as ISA, giving them an additional option for their international search

EPO President António Campinos met with Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Andrei Iancu.

This year, the EPO is a partner for the first time of Just Peace Month, organised by the city of The Hague.

The EPO and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral co-operation with the aim of promoting innovation in sustainable energy technologies.

EPO President António Campinos met with the Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO), Toshihide Kasutani, who took office on 20 July 2020.

The Office today celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).

The Office today has published Inventors Revisited, a new video and podcast series in which the EPO reconnects with former finalists and winners of the European Inventor Award.

Improving the capacity to store electricity is playing a key role in the transition to clean energy technologies.

From 14 September oral proceedings by videoconference involving multiple opponents and/or requiring simultaneous interpretation will be tested on the Zoom platform.

The EPO today has published Inventors against coronavirus, a new video series highlighting the inventors working on solutions to various COVID-19 issues.

EPO contractor BERENT Deutschland GmbH will shortly begin contacting users anonymously to gather feedback which will shape our products and services.

The EPO has published the statistical summary of almost 150 submissions received from users in the first ever public consultation on the EPC and PCT-EPO Guidelines.

To mark LGBT+ pride in Amsterdam, the EPO raises the rainbow flag at its office in the Netherlands

The heads of the world's five largest intellectual property offices (IP5) convened for their 13th annual meeting, the first to be conducted by video conference, to take stock of major achievements in their co-operation initiatives over the past year, and address the priorities for IP5 co-operation in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday 15 July the President of the EPO, António Campinos, met with the Heads of the Ibero-American intellectual property offices. The virtual meeting replaced the annual EPO-IMPI joint event usually held in Geneva in the fringes of the WIPO General Assemblies.

Joint EPO and EUIPO 3D printing conference draws participants from Europe and beyond

So far this year over 1000 oral proceedings have been held by videoconference

In the face of the unprecedented global challenges posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the EPO and the KIPO stand united in expressing their deepest sympathy with the families of the COVID-19 victims, and understanding for our users, who are experiencing hardships - whether directly or indirectly - in their daily lives.

The EPO and the JPO express their deepest sympathy for the loss of life resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and declare their solidarity with all those suffering personal and economic hardships.

EPO’s latest landscaping study entitled “Patents and additive manufacturing – Trends in 3D printing technologies” demonstrates that innovation in this field is surging across multiple industries.

The EPO raises the rainbow flag at its premises in Munich and The Hague

Published in a new format and replacing the former Annual Report, the review outlines the main achievements and activities carried out under each of the five goals of the Office's Strategic Plan 2023, adopted in June 2019.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) stand in full solidarity with all those affected by COVID-19.

The EPO has published the first two parts of a series of resources designed to help researchers and decision-makers benefit from patent information in their fight against coronavirus.

Representatives of user associations and other experts have been meeting on 3 occasions these last weeks with EPO management and experts in the framework of the Standing Advisory Committee before the EPO.

The EPO has for the ninth consecutive time been ranked number one among the world's largest patent offices by users for the quality of its patents and services in Intellectual Asset Management (IAM)'s latest annual benchmarking survey.

The EPO today celebrates World Environment Day. Hosted annually since 1974, the event draws participants in over 140 countries and encourages policy makers, businesses, and individuals to focus on important environmental issues.

The management and staff of the EPO wishes to express their deepest sympathy for the people of Spain

At an international conference today on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia, delegates paid tribute to the country's achievements in building up a solid intellectual property (IP) system, and discussed the importance of IP in supporting future innovation and economic growth.

The EPO today published new guidance for users on how to conduct a hearing via video conference (ViCo).

Today the Enlarged Board of Appeal, the highest level of judicial authority at the European Patent Office (EPO), issued its opinion G 3/19 on questions related to the patentability of plants and animals.

The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office issued opinion G 3/19 (Pepper) today and concluded that plants and animals exclusively obtained by essentially biological processes are not patentable.

In celebration of Europe Day on 9 May, the Patent Orchestra and EPOlyphony choir have recorded a virtual performance of Ode to Joy, the designated anthem of the occasion.

Last week representatives of the EPO's member states, and two future member states discussed their co-operation and how to best serve Europe's innovators during the current crisis at their 14th annual meeting on co-operation.

The coronavirus outbreak has changed our daily lives almost beyond recognition. The staff of the European Patent Office (EPO) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) stand in solidarity with everyone affected.

The EPO joins IP offices in celebrating World IP Day. The 2020 edition is set against a period of great uncertainty and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Climate change remains a growing concern, leaving humankind facing two of its greatest challenges at the same time.

The EPO is pleased to announce a new call for proposals for funding under its Academic Research Programme.

The EPO's Standing Advisory Committee (SACEPO) earlier this week held its user consultation meeting for the first time by video conference (ViCo).

Italy will today mourn the lives lost to Covid-19. Throughout the country, flags will be flown at half-mast and the nation will observe a minute of silence.

The EPO strongly welcomes the announcement of the German government to continue its support for the introduction of the Unitary Patent system in Europe.

Sustainability is a long-standing priority at the EPO, both from a governance perspective and at each site. The Office is committed to making a greater contribution to the long-term environmental goals of the Paris Agreement 2015 and aims to deliver all activities with the least environmental impact possible.

Information for external partners and potential visitors to the EPO

According to the EPO Patent Index 2019, the surge in the fields of digital communication (+19.6%) and computer technology (+10.2%) is fuelling the sustained growth in patent filings

To mark International Women's Day, the EPO looks back at women whose ground-breaking inventions push the boundaries of innovation.

The EPO today launched a public consultation on its Guidelines and invites interested parties to provide input

A delegation headed by the EPO President attended an international conference on challenges in intellectual property held in Zagreb last week under Croatia's EU Council presidency.

The management and staff of the European Patent Office express their deepest solidarity with the people of Germany.

This week the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft (MIH) hosted their first joint IP conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The EPO has published its decision setting out the reasons for its recent refusal of two European patent applications in which an AI system was designated as the inventor.

The EPO has published six research reports developed with funding from its Academic Research Programme. The research used patent data to investigate topics such as financing for innovation, knowledge transfer, trade, tracking inventions in the marketplace, and the growth of technologies to tackle climate change.

The five largest intellectual property offices held the inaugural meeting of their joint Task Force on New Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence this week in Berlin.

António Campinos, President of the EPO, and his team met today with the Chair and members of the executive group of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Preparatory Committee, as well as with the Chair of the Unitary Patent Select Committee, to take stock of the state of play of the preparations to implement the Unitary Patent package.

The EPO has refused two European patent applications in which a machine was designated as inventor.

In an effort to enhance international co-operation in order to strengthen the global patent system, the EPO has signed a Reinforced Partnership agreement with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

Members of the SACEPO Working Party on Guidelines and the EPO met on 27 November to discuss the annual revision of the Guidelines for Examination in the EPO and the Guidelines for Search and Examination at the EPO as PCT Authority.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a Reinforced Technical and Strategic Partnership to enhance co-operation between Europe and Brazil in the area of patents.

EPO President António Campinos and the head of the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) of Indonesia, Freddy Harris, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Reinforced Partnership between their two offices at the EPO in Munich yesterday.

New Espacenet's state-of-the-art features and enhanced functionality will make it even easier for users to conduct patent searches and access over 110 million patent documents from all over the world free-of-charge.

The EPO last week presented two of its studies at an event in the European Parliament hosted by Jörgen Warbon MEP, Vice-President SME Europe of the European People's Party group.

EPO President António Campinos and the Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Shen Changyu, agreed to enhance their bilateral co-operation in the framework of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The EPO yesterday participated in TEDxMünchen, an event in which scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and thought leaders shared insight from their respective areas of expertise.

Message of condolence from the management and staff members of European Patent Office.

An EPO delegation including António Campinos, EPO President, Nellie Simon, Vice-President Corporate Services, and several expert examiners took part in Web Summit in Lisbon between 4 and 6 November.

On 4 and 5 November 2019 the EPO and the Licensing Executives Society International held their first-ever joint conference focussed on the importance of IP to high-growth firms.

The EPO has signed a validation agreement with the government of Georgia, which, once in force, will allow European patent applications and patents to take legal effect in Georgia.

A delegation from Cambodia led by Senior Minister of Industry and Handicraft Cham Prasidh visited the EPO on 31 October to meet with a team from the EPO headed by President António Campinos.

The EPO has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Reinforced Partnership with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), further strengthening the longstanding co-operation between Europe and Mexico in the area of patents.

A new study published today by the European Patent Office (EPO) finds that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) rely on European patents to protect their high-potential inventions and that two thirds of these inventions are commercially exploited.

Around 350 patent professionals from 45 countries are gathering at the EPO’s 29th annual Patent Information Conference in Bucharest this week to discuss the latest developments in the field, and especially the impact of digital technologies on searching and using patent data.

The European Patent Office (EPO) yesterday, 21 October 2019, joined a City of Munich initiative to reduce CO2 emissions and contribute to the Bavarian capital’s goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050.

To strengthen international co-operation on patents, a delegation from the EPO met with representatives of IP offices from around the world on the fringes of the Assemblies of the Member States of the WIPO in Geneva last week and signed a number of agreements.

The Japanese chemist Akira Yoshino, winner of the European Inventor Award 2019, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year.

EPO President António Campinos and the Director General of the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), Dato' Mohd. Roslan bin Mahayudin, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Reinforced Partnership.

The annual event, which took place on 24 September in The Hague, was attended by patent attorneys, paralegals and other IP specialists from 19 countries.

On 19 September, representatives of the EPO attended an international conference in Prague on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Industrial Property Office (IPO) of the Czech Republic.

Industries that make intensive use of intellectual property rights (IPRs) such as patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright generate 45% of GDP (EUR 6.6 trillion) in the EU annually and account for 63 million jobs (29% of all jobs).

The EPO welcomed 750 visitors to its new premises in Rijswijk last weekend as part of the Netherlands' national heritage days (Open Monumentendag).

The heads of office spoke about their respective strategic plans and also addressed the rising importance of artificial intelligence, both in the patent granting process and as the subject-matter of patent applications, in addition to developments related to the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court.

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Chief Executive Tim Moss hosted Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Andrei Iancu and European Patent Office President António Campinos at a patent showcase event in London on 13 September.

Led by President António Campinos, an EPO delegation which included Nellie Simon, Vice-President Corporate Services, and Christoph Ernst, Vice-President for Legal and International Affairs, visited Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

The President of the EPO has filed his comments in the matter of the referral G 1/19 (“Patentability of computer-implemented simulations”) to the Enlarged Board of Appeal

During the month of August, all EPO canteens and cafeterias are turning into cashless premises.

This step enhances relations between the two technology organisations, and is also an invitation to other local institutions as well as Bavarian stakeholders to engage in an inspiring exchange on innovation.

The EPO has published its Environmental Report 2018 which presents the environmental impact of the EPO's operations data across all locations in Berlin, Munich, The Hague and Vienna in 2018 and compares the results with those achieved in 2017.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI) have agreed to work towards enhancing their co-operation.

The EPO hosted the 11th annual meeting of the Ethics Network of Multilateral Organisations (ENMO) last week (9-12 July) at its headquarters in Munich, bringing together senior ethics officers from 37 multilateral intergovernmental institutions.

The EPO published its Social Report 2018, which offers a comprehensive overview of staff and working conditions at the Office.

The EPO yesterday partnered with TEDxYouth@München and engaged in dialogue with young opinion leaders.

The 2018 edition delves deeper into the patent grant process, describing the checks and safeguards that are in place at each phase of the procedure at the Office.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the National Institute of Industrial Property of Argentina (INPI) are stepping up their cooperation.

With effect from 1 July 2019, the European Patent Office (EPO) will be extending its PPH pilot programme with IP Australia, thus enabling applicants at both offices to continue obtaining patents more quickly and efficiently.

Following the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding on Reinforced Partnership with Ethiopia in April of this year, EPO President António Campinos and the Director-General of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO), Ermias Yemanebirhan, signed their first Biennial Work Plan for 2019-21 on the occasion of a visit by a high-level Ethiopian delegation to Munich last week.

The European Patent Office has published its Strategic Plan (SP2023) outlining its vision for the years ahead. The EPO’s Strategic Plan (SP2023), unanimously adopted by its Administrative Council, focuses on achieving five goals that will ensure the EPO is capable of delivering excellence to all its stakeholders

The European Patent Office (EPO) today honoured exceptional inventors from Austria, France, Japan, the Netherlands and Spain with the European Inventor Award 2019 at a ceremony in Vienna.

The winners of the European Inventor Award 2019 will be announced later this week (20 June) when the EPO and IP community come together to celebrate the spirit of innovation at a ceremony in Vienna.

The heads of the five largest patent offices held their annual meeting on 13 June in Incheon, Korea. The five offices, known as the IP5, together handle around 85 percent of the world’s patent applications.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), renewing their commitment to a comprehensive co-operation framework to further improve services for companies, researchers and inventors in Europe and worldwide.

Moon talk, astronauts and inventions at the Deutsches Museum

New study looks at relationship between SMEs, growth and use of Intellectual Property Rights.

At the PATLIB Summit held last week in Porto, representatives of patent information centres from across Europe provisionally adopted a set of recommendations aimed at boosting the EPO's support for the PATLIB Network, and further improving services for companies, researchers and inventors.

The EPO has held its annual Search Matters conference at its headquarters in Munich.

The Award, now in its 14th year, celebrates the genius and creativity of inventors and inventor teams for their contributions to scientific and technological progress, their role in generating economic growth, and their impact on our daily lives.

The EPO has published its draft Strategic Plan 2023 and is now inviting all stakeholders to provide their views on the document.

The EPO and the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) jointly hosted the first in a series of events on computer-implemented inventions in medical technology last week in Lund, Sweden.

The new premises of the European Patent Office (EPO) in The Hague have been named "Best Tall Office Building" by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), an internationally recognised arbiter on tall buildings.

Under the programme, grants of up to EUR 100 000 are awarded in respect of selected proposals on patent-related matters.

Today, pursuant to Article 112(1)(b) EPC, the President of the EPO has submitted questions to the Enlarged Board of Appeal which relate to the patentability of plants exclusively obtained by essentially biological processes and to decision T 1063/18 of a Technical Board of Appeal of December 2018.

The heads of the EPO and the Jordanian Industrial Property Protection Directorate (IPPD) met in Munich today to start negotiations on a validation agreement.

In the 159th meeting of the Administrative Council, the representatives of the 38 EPO Contracting States together with the European Patent Office discussed the need to find a solution in the short term following the decision T 1063/18

The European Patent Office (EPO), the European Committee of Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance the support they provide to industry and stakeholders in Europe and beyond in the field of standard-essential patents.

As a follow-up to its "Patenting Blockchain" conference, the European Patent Office (EPO) has published a conference report entitled "Talking about a new revolution: blockchain" to provide insight into the impact of this technology on the patent system.

The number of patent applications filed with the European Patent Office (EPO) grew by 4.6% last year, reaching a new high of 174 317 (2017: 166 594). The EPO's Annual Report for 2018 shows an increase in patents filed from all major industrial regions but European companies maintained the lead in their home market,

The EPO celebrated International Women's Day on 8 March by launching "Women in the Lead", a mentorship programme in which senior managers will mentor women at the Office.

EPO President António Campinos has spoken about the importance of cooperation at an IP conference in Bucharest, Romania.

The consultation received a high interest in terms of user participation, with over 620 responses both from individuals and user groups.

In the meeting of the Committee on Patent Law, the Office and the representatives of the 38 EPO Contracting States, together with the European Commission as observer, had a first exchange of views on possible next steps following the recent decision T 1063/18 of an EPO Board of Appeal on plant patentability.

A work on loan from the EPO's art collection is being featured in an exhibition at the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) in Karlsruhe, Germany.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral co-operation to help innovators make better use of the European patent system.

Today, the EPO was informed that in case T1063/18 regarding the patentability of plants a decision has been issued by the competent Technical Board of Appeal.

The EPO is inviting all stakeholders to participate in a public consultation which will provide input for its Strategic Plan 2023.

They were elected by the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation in October 2018 for a five-year term.

Filed by the European Atomic Energy Community, the application related to a "thermal heat pump". The corresponding European patent, EP 000 000 1, was granted on 7 January 1981.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation today elected Josef Kratochvíl (CZ) as its Chairman. Mr Kratochvíl succeeds Christoph Ernst (DE) who, in October, was appointed Vice-President for Directorate General Legal and International Affairs of the European Patent Office.

The EPO has been honoured with the Corporate Art Award at an event held on 28 November in the European Parliament in Brussels in the context of the European Year of Cultural Heritage.

The EPO has held its first major conference on patenting blockchain. Attended by over 300 participants, the one-day event in The Hague yesterday explored the implications of blockchain for patent applicants and other stakeholders as the technology is applied to an ever-increasing variety of technical fields.

A delegation from the European Patent Office led by EPO President António Campinos participated to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland organised in Warsaw this week.

The EPO has launched an online user consultation on the need for more flexibility in the timing of the examination process by giving applicants the possibility of postponing the examination of European patent applications.

More than 400 patent professionals from 40 countries gathered at the EPO's 28th annual Patent Information Conference on Monday in Brussels to discuss the latest tools and trends in searching and using information found in patents.

A study published today reveals that innovation in self-driving vehicles (SDV) is accelerating fast and finds that patent protection strategies in the area of self-driving vehicle technology more closely resemble those in the information and communication (ICT) sector than those in the traditional automotive industry.

The EPO and the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) today took a further step forward in their support for innovation in the plant sector by renewing their cooperation agreement for a further three years.

At its launch, Espacenet immediately provided free access to 30 million patent documents from around the world, and has grown steadily to include more than 100 million documents from over 100 countries - making it one of the single largest sources of technical information available today.

The 34th annual meeting of the US Bar-EPO Liaison Council took place at the EPO's Munich headquarters on Friday, 12 October 2018.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation has appointed Nellie Simon Vice-President of the European Patent Office's Directorate-General Corporate Services.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation, in a meeting chaired by the Council's Deputy Chairman, Josef Kratochvíl, has appointed Christoph Ernst Vice-President of the European Patent Office's (EPO) Directorate-General Legal and International Affairs.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation, the Organisation's legislative body, has appointed Stephen Rowan Vice-President of the European Patent Office Directorate-General Patent Granting Process.

A high-level EPO delegation led by President António Campinos attended the WIPO Assemblies in Geneva last week to meet with counterparts from national patent offices from around the world to help shape the EPO's international agenda for 2019.

The EPO and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA, formerly SIPO) have agreed on a co-operation programme for next year as part of their long-term strategic partnership on strengthening the patent system.

During his first official visit to Spain last week, EPO President António Campinos met with Ministers to discuss how to further strengthen the patent system and support innovation and economic growth.

The EPO has published its 2017 Environmental Report, which presents environmental data and reports on progress the Office achieved in its environmental performance across all EPO locations in Berlin, Munich, The Hague and Vienna.

In accordance with Article 112(1)(b) EPC the President of the European Patent Office has referred a point of law concerning the interpretation of Article 108 EPC to the Enlarged Board of Appeal (case G 1/18).

The EPO this week hosts the fifth edition of the IP Executive Week. The annual event is co-organised with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and brings together delegates from a network of more than 60 IP offices around the world to discuss the latest developments in intellectual property.

Conference participants voice strong support for the Unitary Patent package and are eager to see the start of the new system

With a strong record of 20 years of executive leadership experience in the Intellectual Property field, the Portuguese national was elected President in October 2017 by the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation, the EPO's legislative body, for a five-year term.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of staff and working conditions at the Office.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and the Commissioner of the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) of South Africa, Rory Voller, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Reinforced Co-operation at the EPO in The Hague on 27 June.

Designed by renowned architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel (Paris) and Dam & Partners Architecten (Amsterdam), the landmark building unites bold contemporary architecture with a modern, sophisticated infrastructure.

The EPO has today published the second edition of its dedicated Quality Report. Compared with the 2016 edition, the report provides more extensive information and details on existing and new measures to deliver high-quality products and services.

The heads of office addressed topics that are deemed to play an increasingly important role in the future of IP5 co-operation and which could have a significant impact on the global patent system, such as the further development of the Global Dossier and the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met with Johanne Bélisle, Commissioner of Patents, Registrar of Trademarks and CEO of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), in San Francisco to launch a comprehensive bilateral co-operation programme on patents.

The EPO has published a summary of achievements from the extensive modernisation reforms put in place 2010 to 2018.

The EPO announced the winners of the European Inventor Award 2018 at a ceremony today in Paris, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, attended by some 600 guests from the areas of politics, business, intellectual property, science and academia.

The Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GACG) today honoured EPO President Benoît Battistelli with a special award for his services to intellectual property.

The European Patent Office hosted a conference on gender diversity at its Munich premises to celebrate the Charta der Vielfalt's 6th Diversity Day with its staff.

The EPO has for the seventh consecutive time been ranked number one among the world's five largest patent offices by users for the quality of its patents and services in Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine's latest annual benchmarking survey.

More than 350 representatives of industry, academia, user associations, patent law firms, the judiciary, national patent offices and government bodies gathered in Munich today to discuss the challenges and opportunities of “Patenting Artificial Intelligence” (AI) at the EPO’s first major conference on the topic.

The EPO and the national patent offices of its 38 member states met in Limassol on 24/25 May to discuss how to advance co-operation in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the European patent system, and better serve inventors and industry.

Today the European Union GDPR enters into force with the aim of ensuring a high level of data protection.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met Morocco's Minister for Industry, Investment, Trade and the Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, in Rabat.

Some 200 representatives from 36 countries gathered in Ljubljana this week at the EPO's 2018 PATLIB conference to discuss how best to support companies and inventors through their patent information services.

The United Kingdom has announced today that it has deposited the instruments of ratification of the Agreement relating to the Unified Patent Court (UPCA). This now brings the total number of ratifications to sixteen.

The 15 finalists for the European Inventor Award 2018, announced today by the EPO, have all made significant contributions to advancing technology, generating economic value and creating employment in Europe and throughout the world.

High-level representatives and experts from the EPO, led by President Benoît Battistelli, met with the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Bureau headed by its President Hao Ma at the EPO headquarters in Munich yesterday.

The first Annual report of the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office since the introduction of a comprehensive set of reforms has been published.

EPO presents case studies highlighting patents as springboard for SME success

EPO President Benoît Battistelli joined Francis Leyder, President of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the EPO (epi) and Christian Cardona, the Maltese Minister for Economy, Investment and Small Businesses, to celebrate the epi's 40th anniversary.

The European Patent Office announces that fee reductions for patent applications entered into force on 1 April 2018. The measures will lower a number of costs in the patent application and examination process, and help reinforce a more business friendly-approach in support of innovation.

A delegation from the UK Intellectual Property Office headed by Comptroller General and Chief Executive Tim Moss met EPO President Benoît Battistelli and other senior managers to discuss recent developments in patents and co-operation between the two offices.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli outlined recent developments in the European patent system and the importance of patents in supporting innovation and economic growth, which is set to be boosted by the Unitary Patent.

The EPO received nearly 166 000 European patent applications in 2017, an increase of +3.9% and an all-time high.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli, the Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO) Naoko Munakata, and the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Andrei Iancu, held their annual Trilateral heads of office meeting last week in Hakone, Japan, hosted by the JPO.

Under the programme, grants of up to EUR 100 000 are awarded in respect of selected proposals on patent-related matters.

The EPO is launching a new round of user satisfaction surveys in 2018 to measure customer satisfaction with our search, examination and opposition services as well as formalities.

European patents granted by the EPO and validated in Cambodia will have the same legal effects as a corresponding Cambodian patent and will be subject to Cambodian patent law.

Second meeting of SACEPO Working Party on Quality took place in The Hague

The EPO signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Institute of Industrial Property of Argentina (INPI) on the introduction of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) by INPI.

High-level representatives and experts of the EPO, led by President Benoît Battistelli, met yesterday in Munich with a delegation of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) headed by its President, Stephen Jones.

Organised jointly with JETRO Düsseldorf (German branch of the Japan External Trade Organization), the seventh annual meeting between representatives of Japanese industry in Europe, JETRO and the EPO took place in Munich on 17 January 2018.

The EPO has completed an internal re-organisation which will enhance the efficiency of its patenting process. The move is also expected to foster the timeliness of the patent granting procedure for users and contribute to higher quality patents and services.

With effect from 6 January 2018, the EPO will be extending its PPH pilot programmes with four partners around the globe, namely Canada, Israel, Mexico and Singapore, thus enabling innovators from Europe and these countries to continue obtaining patents more quickly and efficiently.

On 18 December 2017, the Enlarged Board of Appeal issued a decision on the referral G 1/16.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 154th meeting in Munich on 13 and 14 December 2017 under the chairmanship of Christoph ERNST (DE).

The new building for the Boards of Appeal Unit of the EPO in Haar, Munich, was officially inaugurated yesterday.

The EPO and the French National Industrial Property Office (INPI) have signed a new three-year bilateral co-operation plan. The agreement, which provides a framework for collaboration in areas such as IT projects and training, was signed by EPO President Benoît Battistelli and INPI Director General Romain Soubeyran in Munich today.

The certificate was presented to EPO President Benoît Battistelli by Frank Graichen, Managing Director of the external certification authority DQS, at a ceremony at the EPO headquarters in Munich. The ceremony was attended by the Chairman and the members of the Administrative Council, in their role as representatives of the EPO's member states.

Conducted by the EPO in co-operation with Handelsblatt Research Institute, the "Patents and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)" study examines this profound technology trend that is now being observed across a whole range of technical fields.

The Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) has elected EPO President Benoît Battistelli as Chair of its Administrative Council.

Two major agreements signed by the EPO with Brazil and Tunisia will enter into force today.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) held today a joint conference in Brussels to illustrate the way in which the two offices co-operate to support innovation in the plant sector.

The IP5 Statistics Report, published jointly by the EPO, the Japan Patent Office, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, collectively known as the IP5 offices, presents official patent statistics from each office.

The EPO contributed to the event with a lecture by Director for ICT Georg Weber on "Industry 4.0 - the technology landscape of tomorrow".

The EPO and China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) have renewed their co-operation by signing a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement at their annual heads of office meeting today in Zhengzhou.

This year's meeting of the US Bar-EPO Liaison Council, a forum to facilitate informal exchanges with US applicants, took place at the EPO's Munich headquarters on 15 November.

This week the EPO co-hosted the IPO-EPO Day with the Intellectual Property Owners (IPO) Educational Foundation. The conference was organised in Europe for their members, including both US and European companies.

A study published today, 14 November 2017, by the EPO finds that the Unitary Patent could significantly enhance technology transfer in the EU through more trade and foreign direct investment (FDI). Improved harmonisation of Europe's patent system has the potential to increase trade and FDI in high-tech sectors by up to 2% and 15% in the EU, leading to annual gains of EUR 14.6 billion in trade and EUR 1.8 billion in FDI.

New opportunities for patent information offered by technology trends were the focus of the 27th Patent Information Conference that took place this week in Sofia, Bulgaria. In the presence of the Bulgarian Deputy Minister for the Economy, Lachezar Borosov, EPO Vice-President Raimund Lutz outlined in his opening speech the key role of patent information services in the promotion of innovation.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 153rd meeting in Munich on 10 and 11 October 2017 under the chairmanship of Christoph ERNST (DE).

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation has elected António Campinos to succeed Benoît Battistelli as President of the European Patent Office (EPO). His five-year term will start on 1 July 2018.

EPO signs PPH agreement with Brazil in Geneva last week and secures date for entry into force of new Validation Agreement with Tunisia.

The EPO and Brazil have agreed to launch a joint Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme to enable work-sharing and accelerate patent prosecution at both offices, with the aim of improving the global IP system, supporting applicants and encouraging innovation.

Inventors and businesses applying for patent protection at the EPO and the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO) are now able to benefit from fast-track patent examination at both offices, following the entry into force of the joint Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme.

The President of the European Patent Office, Benoît Battistelli, and the Director-General of Tunisia's National Standardisation and Industrial Property Institute (INNORPI), Amel Ben Farhat, announced today that starting 1 December European patents can be validated in Tunisia and thus regarded as national Tunisian ones.

The move from the EPO's Isar headquarters to a separate building is part of a comprehensive set of reforms adopted by the organisation's Administrative Council in June 2016 to strengthen the perception of independence and efficiency of the Boards.

Some 100 experts from industry, government, international organisations, universities and research institutes, and technology transfer centres met in Athens last week to discuss some of the challenges and recent successes in developing and deploying new technologies to mitigate climate change.

The publication aims to raise awareness among SMEs of the importance of patents, and to help them use the experiences and good practices of the companies described in the case studies to support their own development and growth.

The Management and staff of the European Patent Office are deeply shocked and saddened by news of the horrific attack which took place in Barcelona on Thursday, 17 August 2017.

The EPO has published its Social Report 2016, which provides a comprehensive overview of staff and working conditions at the Office.

The Administrative Council of the EPO has extended the portfolio of activities of Vice-President Alberto Casado Cerviño. He will head the new Directorate-General Patent Granting Process at the EPO, which results from an internal reorganisation.

In accordance with the rights guaranteed to EPO staff, a small proportion of the EPO's workforce observed their right to strike on Friday 30 June and Monday 3 July. A low rate of participation by staff was registered.

Users voice strong support for the Unitary Patent package at conference in Munich

A comprehensive report outlining a detailed set of quality indicators, it aims to increase transparency on the effects of that policy, while also serving as an additional instrument for the EPO to systematically monitor and improve its measures relating to quality assurance.

On 1 July the EPO launched Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programmes with the patent offices of Malaysia and the Philippines to enable work-sharing and accelerated treatment of patent applications.

In co-operation with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the EPO has today published a new policy brief on the latest trends in climate change mitigation technologies (CCMTs).

On a proposal of the European Patent Office its Administrative Council took a decision to amend the relevant Regulations in order to exclude from patentability plants and animals exclusively obtained by an essentially biological breeding process.

A special ceremony was attended by EPO President Benoît Battistelli, Michel Bezuijen, the Mayor of Rijswijk, architects Jean Nouvel and Diederik Dam, and Ton Vaags, Chairman of the Board of the construction consortium consisting of TBI subsidiary companies J.P. van Eesteren and Croonwolter&dros, as well as construction workers.

Launched by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2006, the annual award distinguishes individual inventors and teams of inventors whose pioneering inventions provide answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times.

The annual benchmarking survey, published last week, shows that the EPO is rated top among the world's five largest patent offices (IP5) for patent quality and service by the 800 patent professionals surveyed.

The Management and staff of the European Patent Office have been deeply shocked by news of the horrific attack that took place in the London Bridge and Borough Market area of London on Saturday evening.

In the first ten years of its existence, IP5 co-operation has delivered a number of products and services that particularly support innovating businesses which have a global market orientation.

The EPO and SIPO of China have co-operated since 1985 and have had a privileged strategic co-operation partnership for the last 10 years.

The Management and staff of the European Patent Office are deeply shocked by the terrible news of the attack that took place after a pop concert in Manchester yesterday.

President Battistelli and Director General Camati agreed in principle on the future launch of a comprehensive co-operation programme including the validation of EP patents in Angola and EPO technical assistance for the development of the national patent system.

The EPO and the National Institute of Industrial Property of Argentina (INPI) have signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral co-operation.

The EPO and the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO) have agreed to launch a joint Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme to enable work-sharing and accelerated treatment of patent applications at both offices.

The Ambassador of the Principality of Monaco to the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, paid an official visit to the EPO on 25 April for the formal hand-over of the instruments of ratification by Monaco of the Bilateral Working Agreement on Searches.

The nominated inventors fight disease, take on some of the most pressing environmental issues and enrich our daily lives.

The management and staff of the EPO are deeply shocked and saddened by the horrific attack which took place in Stockholm on Friday 7 April.

Today marks the launch of the new EPO Academic Research Programme offering financial support for academic research on patent-related matters. The programme will award grants of up to EUR 100 000 to winning proposals.

CPVO and EPO experts continued their exchange on working practices on issues such as the use of databases and other working tools, quality policy, as well as measures to ensure clarity and transparency in this important technical field.

The 35th annual Trilateral conference was preceded by a meeting between the offices and industry associations from the three regions to collect feedback from users of the patent system.

The management and staff of the EPO are deeply shocked and saddened by the horrendous incident that occurred in London on 22 March.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli has signed bilateral co-operation plans with the heads of the patent offices of Latvia and Lithuania.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met the UK Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Jo Johnson in London on 8 March to discuss recent developments in patents and their role in supporting innovation.

Due to effective measures to improve its productivity, the European Patent Office (EPO) published 96 000 granted patents in 2016, which is 40% more than in 2015 and a new high mark in its history.

Carl Josefsson has commenced his role as the new President of the EPO Boards of Appeal (BoA).

The automated mail-box at the EPO’s headquarters in Munich (Isar building, Kohlstrasse) is being closed as from 1 April 2017.

The EPO and Russia's Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) have launched their joint Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme to enable work-sharing and accelerated treatment of patent applications in both regions.

In its order for decision G1/15, related to the question of partial priorities and so-called toxic divisionals, the Enlarged Board of the EPO held that a generic claim encompassing alternative subject matter may not be refused partial priority, provided the alternative subject matter has been directly, at least implicitly, and unambiguously disclosed in the priority document.

New sub-committee on quality of EPO’s SACEPO advisory body meets for the first time in Munich

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and Senior Minister Cham Prasidh, Cambodian Minister of Industry and Handicraft, have signed an agreement in Phnom Penh to extend, upon request of the applicant, the validity of European patent applications and patents to Cambodia...

We welcome this decision by which the Court considers the Dutch courts as not competent to deal with this case, in application of the principle of immunity which is essential for the independence and functioning of any international organisation.

We are deeply shocked and saddened by the horrific attack which took place at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday

Additional measures now operational for visitors in the Isar building Munich and in The Hague

The Administrative Council yesterday appointed Carl Josefsson (Sweden) as the first President of the Boards of Appeal (BoA). A new location for the BoA was also approved by the Member States.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli was in Zagreb on 9 December for a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of Croatia’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO).

Decision follows the publication of European Commission’s notice on the patentability of plants and animals obtained by essentially biological processes

The role of patents in helping policy-makers meet the EU's climate objectives was the subject of an event organised by the EPO on 7 December at the European Parliament in Brussels.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Kris Peeters today in Brussels to discuss joint efforts to enhance patent protection and the support for innovation in Belgium and across Europe.

In its order for decision G1/15, related to the question of partial priorities and so-called toxic divisionals, the Enlarged Board of the EPO held that a generic claim encompassing alternative subject matter may not be refused partial priority, provided the alternative subject matter has been directly, at least implicitly, and unambiguously disclosed in the priority document.

The Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPC) will be ratified by the United Kingdom, according to a statement by UK Minister for IP, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, at the EU Competitiveness Council in Brussels.

The Principality of Monaco hosted the EPO's Online Services User Day this week in Monte Carlo. The event was attended by 120 participants from 19 EPO member states, many of them employed in IP departments of innovating companies, as well as patent attorneys.

The EPO and the Principality of Monaco have signed an agreement under which the EPO will carry out searches for national patent applications on behalf of the Monegasque patent office.

President Benoît Battistelli has outlined the four cornerstones of the Office's patent information policy in his opening speech at the EPO Patent Information Conference, currently underway in Madrid.

The EPO and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) today published their second EU-wide study of the impact of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) on the European economy in terms of GDP, employment, wages and trade.

The European Patent Office and the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Service of Brazil have agreed to increase their co-operation in the field of patents.

Staff members, staff representatives, trade union and the EPO's Administrative Council gathered to discuss the outcome of recent studies on the EPO's social and financial situation, and occupational health and working conditions.

Three Memoranda of Understanding were signed with the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO) relating to Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), the extension of EPOQUE Net (the EPO's professional online patent search tool) until the end of 2018, and a two-year work plan covering CPC training, data exchange, the future Espacenet and outreach activities.

The visit was held on the occasion of the annual EPO-SIPO Heads of Offices meeting, this year hosted by the EPO in Europe.

Technical and legal experts from the EPO and the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) took part in a joint workshop to exchange information on plant-related patents and plant variety rights.

A delegation from the Kingdom of Cambodia visited the EPO in Munich today to discuss developments in the European and Cambodian patent systems.

The staff and management of the European Patent Office were deeply saddened to hear the news of the heavy earthquake that hit central Italy early Wednesday morning.

The staff and management of the European Patent Office are deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the terrible attack which took place in Munich on Friday, 22 July 2016.

The EPO has published its Social Report 2015, which provides a comprehensive overview of staff and working conditions at the Office.

The European Patent Office - its employees, managers and all staff - are deeply shocked and saddened by the terrorist attack which took place in Nice on Thursday, 14 July 2016.

The EPO signed two agreements at the end of June with the national patent offices of Latvia and Malta to improve conditions for small businesses from these countries seeking to protect their inventions through patents.

At a conference organized by Premier Cercle hosted at the European Patent Office's headquarters in Munich today, leading experts gathered to discuss the latest state of play of the Unitary Patent package and the potential implications of the vote in the UK in favour of leaving the European Union.

Approved with an overwhelming majority of votes the member states of the European Patent Organisation accepted a comprehensive reform proposal of the Office to strengthen the perception of the BoA's independence, in particular by increasing their managerial autonomy, and to improve their efficiency.

The EPO and the Intellectual Property Office of Australia (IP Australia) have launched today their joint Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme to enable accelerated treatment of patent applications in both regions.

From 1 July 2016, applicants will be able to enjoy a 100% refund on their examination fee for any application they withdraw, or which is refused or deemed withdrawn, before substantive examination has begun.

The staff and management of the European Patent Office are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the terrible attacks at Istanbul airport on Tuesday night.

The Office underlines that the outcome of the referendum has no consequence on the membership of the UK to the European Patent Organisation, nor on the effect of the European Patents in the UK.

EPO President Benoit Battistelli has today sent the following message of condolence to Michelle Lee, Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), following recent events in Orlando

The streamlined opposition procedure will see the duration of opposition cases drop to just 15 months for straightforward cases

Now in its 11th year, the award is presented annually by the EPO to recognise outstanding inventors from Europe and around the world, who have made an exceptional contribution to social development, technological progress and economic growth.

The independent survey, carried out by IAM magazine, found the EPO yet again performed best among the world’s five largest patent offices (IP5) for patent quality and service for the fifth annual survey in a row.

The meetings took stock of developments in key areas such as the Global Dossier, the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), Common Citation Document (CCD) and patent harmonisation to name but a few areas.

Users invited to provide feedback on demo mode of online procedure for registering patents with unitary effect.

Benoît Battistelli, President of the European Patent Office, was in Casablanca (Morocco) on Monday, 16 May, attending a conference on "Patent validation and technology transfer - issues and initiatives".

Representatives of national patent offices and patent information centres from 37 countries across Europe and beyond are gathering in Helsinki this week to explore how to improve services to companies, universities, and inventors in support of innovation.

The 15 finalists for the European Inventor Award 2016, announced today by the EPO, have advanced technology, and helped generate economic value and employment in Europe and around the world.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli has yesterday met with a delegation from the Institute of Professional Representatives (epi) and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the training of professional representatives.

The UK's Minister for Intellectual Property, Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe, and EPO President Benoît Battistelli met in London on 7 April to discuss recent developments in patents in Europe and around the globe.

Following a strike ballot, it is to be expected that some EPO staff members will exercise their right to strike on 7 April 2016.

The staff and the management of the European Patent Office are deeply shocked and saddened by the abhorrent terrorist attacks which took place in Brussels today, 22 March 2016.

The reduction applies to searches carried out by the EPO on national filings by small and medium-sized enterprises, universities and independent inventors.

The number of European patent filings grew again in 2015 reaching a new high of nearly 279 000 (in 2014: 274 000, +1.6%). The figure is an indicator of the growing demand for patent protection from businesses worldwide.

The European Patent Office (EPO) has formally recognised the role of trade unions as social partners through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed today with FFPE-EPO, a European civil service trade union.

On the occasion of a visit to the EPO in Munich by Grigory Petrovich Ivliev, the new Director General of Rospatent (the Russian Federal Service for IP), the two institutions have committed to further strengthen their co-operation.

The two organisations agreed to further strengthen their relationship through the exchange of information in the area of plant-related patents and plant variety rights. The Arrangement was signed in Munich, where the CPVO delegation, led by President Martin Ekvad, was welcomed by EPO President Benoît Battistelli.

The EPO is pleased to announce the launch of PATSTAT Online, a new, web-based interface that enables you to run queries in PATSTAT, the EPO's statistical database for patents, and to perform statistical analyses.

The EPO has launched a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme with Colombia.

UAB BERENT Research Baltic is currently conducting telephone interviews, asking users general questions about search and examination and specific questions on patent applications searched in 2015. For the patent administration part, the survey will be done online.

Yann Ménière is professor of economics on leave from MINES ParisTech, where he was leading the Chair on "IP and Markets for Technology" until joining the EPO.

It is with great sadness that I received the news of the death of Artur Fischer on 27 January at the age of 96 in his hometown of Waldachtal (Black Forest). For his groundbreaking achievements, the European Patent Office honoured Artur Fischer with the European Inventor Award 2014 in the category "Lifetime achievement".

Against the backdrop of rising demand for patent protection in Europe, the EPO's 4 200 patent examiners delivered a record total of 365 000 "products" (such as searches and examinations), an increase of 14% compared to 2014.

The revised PACE programme streamlines the existing scheme, improves responsiveness and better aligns it with the EPO’s workload prioritisation initiative Early Certainty from Search (ECfS).

Following the receipt of ISO 9001 certification for its patent granting process last December, the EPO has now also achieved certification for its patent information and post-grant activities.

On proposal of the European Patent Office (EPO), the Select Committee which represents the EU member states participating in the new Unitary Patent, has formalised today a series of agreements into a complete secondary legal framework comprising the implementing rules, budgetary and financial rules, the level of the renewal fees and the rules concerning the distribution of the renewal fees between the EPO and the participating member states.

A new study conducted by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that inventions in climate change mitigation technologies have seen a fivefold increase worldwide between 1995 and 2011.

The Select Committee responsible for supervising the EPO's activities with regard to the Unitary Patent reached agreement on the distribution of income generated by the payment of the uniform renewal fees by patent owners for maintaining their Unitary Patent.

The EPO president congratulated the Serbian IP office on its anniversary and pointed out that the country enjoyed a long tradition of industrial property.

We express our deepest solidarity with the people of France and our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the victims, their relatives and friends.

Patent information is far more than technical data, the EPO President told the EPO Patent Information Conference in Copenhagen today.

You can now search for patent documents and records on our mobile website, m.epo.org

As a result, it is now possible for patent applicants to validate their European patent applications and patents in Moldova. After validation, these patents will confer the same rights and legal protection as national patents granted in Moldova.

The programme is a co-operation between the EPO, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) and renowned European universities and educational institutions and offers young university graduates the possibility to gain valuable on-the-job multicultural professional work experience in the competitive world of IP

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 145th meeting in Munich on 14 and 15 October 2015 with Jesper Kongstad, Director General of the Danish Patent Office, in the chair.

This year the European Patent Office and China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) celebrate 30 years of bilateral co-operation - a partnership that has had a profound impact on intellectual property worldwide.

An agreement between the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Republic of Moldova allowing European patents to take legal effect in Moldova will enter into force on 1 November 2015.

The areas for co-operation are wide-ranging and include reciprocal access to patent information and the establishment of a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme between the two offices.

President Benoît Battistelli of the European Patent Office (EPO) and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Michelle Lee renewed their commitment on the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding extending their cooperation to the future.

Protocol puts practical arrangements into motion, including recruitment of judges

The EPO has pre-published its “Guidelines for Search and Examination at the EPO as PCT Authority” online. They enter into force on 1 November.

This move is part of an initiative designed to enhance the transparency of how the EPO functions, and of its internal regulatory framework.

The donation will be made to the Save Me - eine Stadt sagt ja! campaign, a local initiative supported by the city of Munich and by UN Refugee Aid Germany, the fundraising partner of UNHCR-Germany. The money will go towards Save me's work in providing direct emergency assistance, and supporting permanent resettlement of the refugees, helping them to find housing, jobs and education.

President Benoît Battistelli met Italy’s Under Secretary of State Simona Vicari in Rome today.

The third event of its kind, the forum hosted key speakers and contributors who addressed an audience of over 250 attendees on subjects related to the continuing development of the unitary patent package.

Meeting in Munich yesterday the heads of the EPO and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding relating to the introduction of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) by the IMPI.

Two million patents and 400 standards for renewable energy and carbon mitigation technologies now accessible via one easy-to-use platform

As the two previous editions, the report aims at creating a better understanding of the current social situation at the EPO, and of the challenges ahead.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 144th meeting on 24 and 25 June in Munich, with Jesper Kongstad, Director General of the Danish Patent Office, holding the chair.

Reminder: User consultation closes on 30 June 2015

The EPO has extended the Global dossier service to include file wrapper data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

On 24 June the Select Committee of the Administrative Council of the EPO endorsed, with the required ¾ majority, the European Patent Office's "True Top 4" proposal for a set of uniform renewal fees applicable to the unitary patent.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli addressed the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) in Brussels on 15 June at the invitation of JURI Chairman Pavel Svoboda MEP.

The prestigious annual award, now in its 10th year, honours outstanding inventors who through their work have made an exceptional contribution to social development, technological progress and economic growth.

The EPO has once again been rated number one for patent quality among the world's largest patent offices, according to a recent survey of patent professionals by IAM magazine.

A second roundtable meeting took place on 28 May 2015 with the Chairman of the Administrative Council, Jesper Kongstad, EPO President Benoît Battistelli, representatives of SUEPO and FFPE to resume discussion on the formal recognition of trade unions within the EPO legal framework.

The heads of the world's five largest intellectual property offices (IP5), meeting today in Suzhou, China, pledged to step up their co-operation in order to further optimise their services to users and the public.

The EPO has welcomed the decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) dismissing the legal challenges to the unitary patent package.

The user consultation will run until 30 June 2015

At a round table meeting jointly initiated by the Chairman of the Administrative Council, Jesper Kongstad, and EPO President Benoît Battistelli, the SUEPO and FFPE entered into a process which could eventually lead to their formal recognition as trade unions at the Office for the first time in EPO history.

With this prestigious annual award, the EPO honours scientists and engineers in five categories whose inventions have been patented by the EPO and have contributed to technological progress, social development and economic growth. The 10th edition of the award will be held in Paris on 11 June.

The announcement in Cape Town this week follows the launch of the first Global Dossier service with data from the EPO and SIPO in June 2014.

In preparing its statement, ESAB took into account the report of a workshop held in Munich on 25 November 2014.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 143rd meeting on 25 and 26 March 2015 with Jesper Kongstad, Director General of the Danish Patent Office, in the chair.

The Administrative Council acknowledges the results achieved by the Office and its staff which represent the outcomes of the Efficiency and Quality strategy adopted in 2011.

The UK's Minister for Intellectual Property, Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe and EPO President Benoît Battistelli met on 18 March 2015 at the EPO headquarters in Munich to discuss recent developments in the patent system in Europe and globally...

On behalf of a large majority of staff who are proud to work at the EPO and on our own behalf as senior managers with a recognised democratic background at national and international levels, we, the members of EPO's management committee, are profoundly shocked by such an accusation.

There was no consensus amongst ESAB members regarding the desirability of the introduction of a grace period in Europe. However, they did agree that Europe should consider introducing a grace period only if two vital conditions are met.

A forum titled “Focus Morocco marked the entry into force of an agreement allowing European patents to be validated in Morocco.

Morocco becomes 41st country for which patent protection can be obtained on the basis of a European patent application

Patent filings at the EPO grew by 3.1% in 2014, hitting a new record high of over 274 000 (2013: 266 000). Among the EPO member states, the Netherlands, France and the UK showed significant growth, some countries like Germany and Sweden remained stable, while filings from countries such as Finland, Switzerland and Spain declined.

Last week-end was marked by yet another tragic event in Europe as Denmark has been the victim of terrorist attacks in the centre of Copenhagen.

A win-win agreement: Morocco is the first non-member country of the European Patent Organisation to validate the legal effects of a European patent on its territory.

The European Patent Office (EPO) received more than 273 110 patent filings in 2014, an increase of around 3% over 2013, and a new all-time high.

As a European institution, the EPO wishes to affirm its unreserved solidarity with the democracies of Europe and the world in the face of this appalling act of violence.

In a joint interview with Managing IP, the President of the EPO, Benoît Battistelli, and the Chairman of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation, Jesper Kongstadt, are taking position on some questions related to the EPO that were recently debated in the media.

A current industrial dispute involving strike action at the European Patent Office (EPO) has been the subject of some recent public comment

After the Chairman's report on the last meetings of the Board of the Administrative Council, the President of the European Patent Office, Benoît Battistelli, presented his activities report. The Council expressed its clear satisfaction.

The Council addressed a number of points concerning senior employees and the Boards of Appeal. Specifically, the Council addressed disciplinary arrangements applicable to senior employees appointed by the Council under Article 11 (1)(2)(3) EPC and, noting its obligations under Article 11(4) EPC, agreed to set up a Council Disciplinary Committee.

The EPO has achieved ISO 9001 certification for its quality management system, which covers the search, examination, opposition, limitation and revocation stages of its patent granting process.

A current industrial dispute involving strike action at the European Patent Office (EPO) has been the subject of some recent public comment

Since the new Commission has taken office, EPO President Benoît Battistelli has met with two EU Commissioners whose responsibilities cover the field of patents.

The EPO has signed a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme with the Israel Patent Office to enable accelerated treatment of patent applications starting in January.

More than 2 million patent applications were filed at the world's five largest IP offices in 2013, an increase of 11% over 2012, according to the 2013 edition of the IP5 Statistics Report just published.

A current industrial dispute involving strike action at the European Patent Office (EPO) has been the subject of some recent public comment.

Today the long-awaited Opinions of the Advocate General on the legal challenges by Spain against the unitary patent package have been issued by the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU).

The heads of the EPO and SIPO met in Brussels this week to discuss how to further improve and align their patent systems in order to better support innovation.

The EPO and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral co-operation establishing a framework for structured work relations between the EPO and the Intellectual Property Office of India (IPO India)

Some 400 IP professionals from across the globe are gathering in Warsaw this week for the EPO's annual Patent Information Conference.

Two past European Inventor Award finalists have been awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. European Inventor Award 2007 finalist Shuji Nakamura (US) has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, and European Inventor Award 2008 finalist Stefan Hell (Germany) the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

In order to continue to improve the quality of services to its users by establishing a one-stop shop for applicants, the European Patent Office (EPO) today launched a new system for the online filing of patent applications.

In an effort to boost innovation and trade, the EPO has signed Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programmes with the patent offices of Canada, Mexico and Singapore to launch accelerated treatment of patent applications, starting in January 2015.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mládek and other representatives of government, industry and academia in Prague this week to discuss how to further strengthen the patent system to support innovation and economic growth.

Over six million visitors in just 16 days. More than 6.7 million litres of beer served. The world's tallest drop tower. Munich's annual Oktoberfest - which begins this year on 20 September - is a showcase of superlatives.

Meeting in Santander, Spain, EPO President Benoît Battistelli and the Director General of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, Patricia García-Escudero Márquez, signed an agreement to promote the quality and efficiency of the Latin American patent system to the benefit of its users and of European industry in particular.

First published for the year 2012, the Social Report aims at creating a shared understanding of the current social situation at the EPO and of the challenges ahead.

"This is a strategic breakthrough for the patent system in Tunisia", said President Battistelli. "The agreement will simplify access to patent protection in Tunisia for European patent applicants and proprietors."

Under the "Early Certainty from Search" scheme, the EPO aims to issue all search reports and written opinions on patentability within six months of filing, to prioritise the completion of examination files it has already started over beginning work on new files, and to expedite grants once a positive search opinion has been issued.

At the meeting, the Council expressed its continued support for the EPO's quality/efficiency strategy adopted in 2011 under President Battistelli, which is being implemented by means of five „roadmaps" in the areas of IT, co-operation, human resources, buildings and quality.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte jointly laid the foundation stone for the EPO’s new main building at the Rijswijk site.

The award ceremony, held at the former Kaiserliches Telegrafenamt (Imperial Telegraph Office) in Germany's capital, was attended by some 500 guests from the fields of business, science, culture and politics, including German Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection Heiko Maas.

The EPO and the national patent offices of the EPO member states (incl. Extension states) met in Crete on 12/13 June to discuss how to advance co-operation in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the European patent system, and thus better serve inventors and industry.

Available at m.epo.org, the new site does not include all content of the main EPO website. Instead, we have concentrated on the services and information that users requested in surveys and focus groups.

The IP5 heads agreed to increase the quality of the patent documentation, promote public access to "file wrapper" information at the IP5 level, start work on patent harmonization, launch the update of the IP5 website and collaborate on the development of the Patent Cooperation Treaty system.

The EPO and SIPO today announced the launch of a new EPO service, called the Global Dossier, that displays European and Chinese dossier content on a family of patent applications (applications for the same invention filed at multiple offices).

At their annual bilateral meeting today in Seoul, the heads of the two offices agreed on a number of new co-operation projects aimed at increasing efficiency in the patent granting process through co-ordination and training in classification practices, and improved access to patent documentation.

The EPO’s new smart TV app brings innovation and inventors to your living room

Munich, 28 May 2014

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and President of the Turkish Patent Institute, Prof. Dr. Habip Asan, opened a conference of Europe's patent information centres (PATLIB) in Istanbul today.

Following the announcement of this year’s finalists for the European Inventor Award 2014 last week, we have now opened the competition to the public – you can now vote for your favourite individual or team to win the Popular Prize.

The EPO's Economic and Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB) has issued a statement on the Unitary Patent package, based on a study commissioned to Europe Economics and a report of a two-day workshop.

Fifteen pioneering inventors and/or teams have been named as finalists for the European Inventor Award 2014. The prize will be presented by the European Patent Office (EPO) at a gala ceremony in Berlin on 17 June.

The European Union's Observatory on Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights has launched a survey on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries.

Munich, 26 March 2014

Munich, 27/28 March 2014

A dedicated Training Centre for the Unified Patent Court was officially opened today in Budapest. The centre will function as a coordinating office for the training of judges and candidate judges of the new court system which, together with the unitary patent, is expected to start operating in 2015.

In 2013 the EPO received 266 000 patent filings, compared to 258 000 in 2012. The EPO granted 66 700 European patents, which was 1.6% more than in 2012 (65 600) and the highest number ever.

The EPO signed a co-operation agreement today with the UK Intellectual Property Office aimed at helping both offices deliver high-quality and timely services to businesses and inventors.

Mr. Battistelli noted the growing economic significance of the Southeast Asian region and welcomed this new regional co-operation framework as a contribution to further consolidating the development of innovation and the knowledge-based society among the Members States of ASEAN.

Twenty-five senior patent professionals from Europe, Japan and the USA took the opportunity to share experiences with EPO examiners, lawyers and procedural experts in an effort to enhance understanding of how examiners apply Art. 123(2) EPC, and raise awareness among examiners of the problems encountered by users.

Meeting in Mexico City the heads of the EPO and IMPI agreed to enhance their co-operation on patents in an effort to support innovation in both regions.

This is a 2.8% increase over 2012 (257 700 filings), and a new all-time high. Last year, after a high-quality search and examination process, the EPO granted and published 66 700 patents, which was 1.7% more than in 2012 (65 600).

The Select Committee of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its sixth meeting in Munich on 10 and 11 December 2013.

The EPO's free machine translation service now offers 32 languages, covering all EPO member states plus the most important Asian languages

The EPO's Economic and Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB) brought together some 60 international patent experts at the EPO headquarters in Munich last week for a two-day workshop dedicated to the economic effects of the unitary patent and the Unified Patent Court.

Meeting in Beijing this week, the heads of the EPO and SIPO renewed their commitment to supporting global innovation, signing two major agreements.

The world's five largest patent offices have published the 2012 edition of the IP5 Statistics Report

The seminar, which took place in Brussels on 13 and 14 November 2013, was the second in a series of inter-institutional training initiatives, launched last year by the European Patent Academy together with the OHIM Academy, targeting key players in public institutions across Europe.

The EPO has signed an agreement with the Republic of San Marino on national patent searches, which is aimed at fostering innovation and improving the environment for business.

The EPO has signed a validation agreement with the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova (AGEPI), which will allow European patent applications and patents to take legal effect in Moldova.

The Administrative Council has adopted in its meeting of October an amendment of the provisions of the European Patent Convention dealing with the requirements for the filing of divisional applications, namely Rules 36, 38, and 135.

The highlight of the day was a panel discussion with Estonian Justice Minister Hanno Pevkur, UK Under-Secretary for Intellectual Property Lord Younger, SIPO Commissioner Tian Lipu, GE Europe CEO Ferdinando Becalli-Falco and TomTom CEO Harold Godijn.

Launched earlier this year, the competition asked students to define a research project of potential interest for future R&D.

The exhibition, commissioned by the EPO as part of celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the European Patent Convention in 1973, was officially opened by EPO President Benoît Battistelli and the Museum's General Director Wolfgang M. Heckl.

The city of Munich today changed the name of the area in front of the EPO headquarters (Isar building) to Bob-van-Benthem-Platz in honour of the EPO's first president, Johannes Bob van Benthem.

The EPO has signed an agreement with Lithuania to improve conditions for Lithuanian businesses seeking to protect their inventions in Europe.

A study conducted jointly by the EPO and OHIM study finds that about 40% of total economic activity in the EU is generated by IPR-intensive industries, and approximately 35% of all employment in the EU stems from such industries.

Russian-English machine translation for patents launched; Rospatent to use the CPC classification system

The world's five largest Intellectual Property Offices (IP5) have agreed to launch a comprehensive IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme as of January 2014.

In a decisive move forward on the road to a new building in Rijswijk, the European Patent Office (EPO) today signed the contract with the winning consortium of four companies belonging to the Group TBI at the EPO's headquarters in Munich.

In his first official visit to the Principality of Monaco, EPO President Benoît Battistelli met His Excellency the Minister of State, Michel Roger, Finance and Economy Minister Jean Castellini and other representatives of government and industry to discuss the role of patents in supporting innovation in Monaco and Europe.

Prior to joining the EPO, he was an economic consultant specialised in competition and regulation matters.

The Technical Board of Appeal in the proceedings T 83/05 concerning the so-called "Broccoli" patent has decided to refer further questions of law to the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the EPO (EBoA).

The EPO announced today that a consortium of four companies belonging to the Group TBI, one of the largest construction, mechanical and electrical services companies in the Netherlands, in co-operation with two leading architectural firms, namely Ateliers Jean Nouvel (Paris) and Dam & Partners Architecten (Amsterdam), has won an international competition to design and construct its new "Main Building" in Rijswijk (The Hague), the Netherlands.

In a move to further improve multilingual access to information contained in patent documents, the EPO today made another set of European languages available in its free machine translation service Patent Translate. With the addition of Bulgarian, Czech, Icelandic, Romanian, Slovak and Slovenian, the service now offers on-the-fly-translation from and into English for 21 languages.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and the Director-General of the Moroccan Industrial and Commercial Property Office (OMPIC), Adil Elmaliki, signed a set of co-operation agreements to strengthen the patent system in both Morocco and Europe.

EPO President Battistelli met with German Federal Minister of Justice Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger at the EPO headquarters in Munich today to discuss developments in the European patent system, and in particular the future unitary patent.

Making climate protection part of our daily lives is actually really easy and can even be rewarding - so goes the key message of the exhibition mounted by Bavaria's consumer organisation under the motto "Climate protection - everyone can do their bit!".

The EPO, the member states of the European Patent Organisation and the OHIM in its observer capacity met in Reykjavik on 11/12 June to discuss how to bring co-operation forward in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the European patent system, and thus better serve industry.

The agreement confirms the commitment of the two organisations to work together to better serve industry worldwide, and strengthens the EPO's wider strategy in connection with standards.

EPO sponsors prize in the European Satellite Navigation Competition

The IP5 offices renewed their commitment to developing the "Global Dossier", a system to simplify the viewing and management of applications filed in the IP5 offices. They also agreed to adopt the Global Classification Initiative, a new effort to harmonise patent classification.

The EPO and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) today announced the launch of the Japanese-English component of the EPO's automatic translation service Patent Translate.

EPO and SIPO sign a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation in patent classification

Some 500 guests attended the award ceremony at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, including Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Sander Dekker, the Netherlands State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science, and Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and EU Commissioner Michel Barnier today highlighted the creativity of Europe's inventors, and the role of the patent system in helping to translate this innovation potential into economic growth and social development.

Some 1.98 million patent applications were filed at the world's five largest patent offices last year, according to preliminary data just released by the EPO, JPO, KIPO, SIPO and USPTO, collectively known as the IP5.

A new study by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Patent Office (EPO) -Patents and Clean Energy Technologies in Africa- found that Africa has a huge untapped potential for generating clean energy.

On an official visit to Slovakia, EPO President Benoît Battistelli, met with Prime Minister Robert Fico, the Minister of Economy Tomáš Malatinský and other representatives of government, industry and academia to discuss how to further strengthen the patent system to promote innovation and economic growth in Slovakia and Europe.

Around 300 senior representatives of industry, academia and government gathered at a two day-conference organised jointly by the EPO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Technische Universität München (TUM) to look at how to create markets out of research results.

In an official visit to Luxembourg President Benoît Battistelli met with the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Etienne Schneider, the Head of the IP office, Lex Kaufhold, as well as with representatives of the national industry, the Business Federation of Luxembourg (FEDIL), and patent attorneys to discuss how the patent system can further encourage innovation in Luxembourg and Europe.

The EPO and the International Electrotechnical Commission have agreed to work closely together by facilitating the EPO use of IEC's standardisation documents in all phases of its patenting process.

An opposition division of the EPO has decided to revoke the European patent in the so-called "Brüstle" case in public oral proceedings held today.

The EPO has signed an agreement with the Institut français to boost French language training across Europe.

The award is presented annually to outstanding inventors in five categories. For the first time, the public is invited to cast their vote to select the winner of the Popular Prize.

During its 135th session, the Council re-elected Mr Jesper Kongstad as its Chair, for a three year mandate which will start on 1 July 2013.

This is a further milestone after the adoption of the unitary patent package in December 2012 and the signing last month of the international agreement on the Unified Patent Court.

The EPO has signed agreements on language training with the British Council and the Goethe-Institut in a bid to strengthen the use of the EPO's three official languages in those 27 member states that do not have English, French or German as official languages.

The EPO's Economic and Scientific Advisory Board has issued a statement with recommendations for improving the patent system, based on the main findings of its 2012 activities.

“The growth of filings from European businesses is a clear indication that industry here has opted to innovate its way out of the economic crisis”, EPO President Benoît Battistelli said.

"The EPO is a driving force for innovation, and thereby, for competitiveness and economic growth," he said.

The European Patent Office (EPO) welcomes the signing by EU ministers today in Brussels of an international agreement establishing a Unified Patent Court (UPC), which paves the way for the implementation of a unitary patent system in Europe.

With 63% of the filings, a clear majority came from non-European countries (2011: 62%), while the share from the 38 EPO member states was 37% (2011: 38%).

The EPO has revoked the Amazon “Gift order” patent after holding public oral proceedings in a first-instance opposition procedure.

The EPO and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today launched the Cooperative Patent Classification scheme (CPC), a global classification system for patent documents.

The EPO welcomed the adoption by the European Parliament in Strasbourg today of two draft regulations on the creation of the unitary patent, hailing it as a historic achievement.

Improving the exchange of data between the two offices and enhancing patent quality globally were two of the main topics in focus at the annual bilateral meeting of the European Patent Office (EPO) and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (SIPO), which took place yesterday in Brussels.

Breaking new ground in providing access to the most comprehensive technological information, the EPO and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (SIPO) today launched the Chinese-English component of the EPO's free automatic translation service Patent Translate.

This conference, hosted by the OECD in Paris in collaboration with the EPO, is one of the most important events for patent statistics worldwide.

The heads of the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), met in Kyoto, Japan this week for their 30th annual Trilateral Conference, signing a declaration pledging to further develop patent systems around the world through improved work-sharing.

All public documents of the Administrative Council will be made available after each session and published on the EPO's website.

Opening the 22nd EPO Patent Information Conference, which took place in Hamburg on 6 to 8 November 2012, Mr Battistelli emphasised that patent information was a core element of the patent system.

After reporting to the Administrative Council last week on the completion of the four technical, fact-finding studies carried out by the Tegernsee Experts Group, the European Patent Office is making these studies available to the public on its website.

In a move to further improve multilingual access to information contained in patent documents, the EPO today made available a second set of European languages in its free automatic translation service Patent Translate.

The President of the European Patent Office (EPO), Benoît Battistelli, met with representatives of government, industry and academia in Bulgaria to discuss how to further strengthen the country's patent system, and enhance co-operation between the EPO and the Bulgarian Patent Office.

"Finland, as a country with a growing, export-oriented industrial base and a strong culture of innovation, is an important member of the group of European countries which have chosen to put their patenting resources together and thereby help to bolster the competitive position of European industry in the globalised economy," said EPO's Vice-President for Legal and International Affairs, Raimund Lutz.

Participating in the Governing Bodies of WIPO meeting this week, EPO President Benoît Battistelli also used the opportunity of his visit to Geneva for an exchange of views with IP decision-makers from other regions.

The EPO and the USPTO are pleased to announce that the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) scheme and some finalised CPC definitions are now available in preparation for the 1 January 2013 official launch.

The EPO's Economic and Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB) brought together some 40 international patent experts yesterday in Leuven, Belgium for a workshop dedicated to patent thickets.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli hosted a reception today at the EPO's office in The Hague in honour of patent examiner Thierry Schmitter, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London in the Single-Person Keelboat category.

On 3 September 2012 several amendments to Irish patent legislation came into effect, paving the way for Ireland's accession to the London Agreement.

In his first official visit to the Principality of Liechtenstein, the President of the EPO, Benoît Battistelli, met with representatives of government and industry to discuss how to maintain and enhance the role of the patent system in boosting innovation in the country.

EPO examiner Thierry Schmitter won a bronze medal at Paralympics in London in the Single-Person Keelboat (2.4mR) category.

Alberto Casado Cerviño has taken up office as Vice-President of the EPO, in charge of Directorate-General Operational Support.

The entry into force of the EPO-SIPO PDX agreement will reduce the administrative costs associated with processing received paper copies of priority documents and storing them in electronic record management systems.

The EPO took a major step forward in the tender procedure for the design and construction of its new "Main Building" in Rijswijk (The Hague) when its jury met recently to select the three bids which will enter the second stage of this procedure.

Nominations for the European Inventor Award 2013 are now open and anyone can have their say as we attempt to seek out the finest inventors.

At its June 2012 meeting, the Administrative Council elected Serafeim Stasinos, the head of the Hellenic delegation, as chairman of its Budget and Finance Committee.

The European Patent Office strongly welcomes the agreement reached today by EU member states on the location of the central division of the future European patent court, which removes a significant obstacle to the introduction of unitary patent protection in Europe.

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation today appointed Alberto Casado Cerviño to the position of Vice-President of the EPO, responsible for Directorate-General Operational Support.

Pioneers in laser eye surgery, hearing-aid devices, fuel cells, hepatitis B treatment and wireless communication honoured in Copenhagen.

Speaking at a press conference today in Copenhagen on the occasion of the European Inventor Award 2012, EPO President Benoît Battistelli highlighted Europe's innovation potential, and the need to better support inventors by introducing the planned unitary patent.

The Heads of the world's five largest intellectual property offices expressed their common conviction that the focus of future IP5 initiatives should be even more user-directed.

The Technical Board of Appeal competent in the appeal proceedings related to the so-called "Tomato" patent has decided to refer further questions of law to the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the EPO.

Rospatent and the EPO will exchange full-text versions of patent documents in Russian and English to create bilingual text corpora for use in the free Patent Translate service on the EPO's website.

EPO President emphasises success story of the European patent

EPO President Benoît Battistelli paid tribute to the achievements of Latvia in modernising its patent system for the benefit of the national and European economy.

Some 40 economists, lawyers, patent practitioners, licensing experts and university researchers from Europe, the USA and Asia met in Munich on 7/8 May

European TV station Euronews will broadcast the first in a series of programmes about the European Inventor Award tonight at 20.50 hrs CET. The first one looks at French nominees Gilles Gosselin, Jean-Louis Imbach and Marti L. Bryant, who developed a potent drug to fight hepatitis B.

A Technical Board of Appeal of the EPO has decided to revoke the so-called "Frozen sperm/XY" patent after hearing all parties in public oral proceedings in an appeal procedure today.

The agreement aims at improving the procedural framework of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) with a view to increasing its use by patent applicants.

The fifteen finalists cover the fields of medical technology and medicine, telecommunications, wastewater treatment, battery recycling, energy storage and environment, clothing, laser technology, railway manufacturing and construction.

Representatives from Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, the UK, the USA and the EPO met at Spitzingsee, near Munich last week to review efforts to harmonise national and regional patent law

The EPO and Logica have announced a project that will introduce one of the most advanced, fully digital patent offices in the world, enabling applicants and inventors to register their patents and all concerned in processing them in a more efficient and cost effective way.

The INPI and EPO will exchange patent documents in Portuguese and English to create bilingual text corpora for use in the free Patent Translate service.

The 52-year-old Croat will be in charge of the EPO's Directorate-General Administration. He succeeds Brian McGinley of Ireland, who has retired. The appointment is for five years.

Despite the financial crisis affecting Europe, the EPO experienced a new all-time record of 244 000 patents filings in 2011 (+3,7%).

President Battistelli met the Deputy Prime Minister, the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Economy Minister in Skopje. He also reviewed bilateral co-operation activities with the Director of the State Office for Industrial Property (SOIP).

Estonia marks 20 years since the re-establishment of its patent office, and 10 years of EPO membership.

In a major step to improve access to patent documents in multiple languages the EPO today launched a new machine translation service, called Patent Translate, on the EPO's website.

The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding with a view to furthering co-operation on the role of patents as an economic tool.

In a dedicated set of FAQs, the EPO informs on the patent, the legal basis for the grant of patents in the plant sector and on the number of patents applied for and granted in which plants are concerned.

The Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO), Yoshiyuki Iwai, and the President of the European Patent Office (EPO), Benoît Battistelli, have signed an agreement which will provide users of the patent system with better machine translations of patents from Japanese into English and then into German and French.

The role and structure of fees, the importance of patent quality and challenges to the functioning of the patent system from overlapping sets of patent rights, so-called patent thickets: these are the issues to be addressed by the Economic and Scientific Advisory Board of the European Patent Office.

The EPO received 243 000 applications, 3% up on the 2010 record figure of 237 500. It granted 62 115 patents, 7% more than in 2010.

Made up of internationally recognised experts with a global perspective and an emphasis on Europe, the board will advise the EPO on economic and social studies.

Hear what a winner and a nominee have to say about the lasting value of the EPO's awards.

EPO launches a new web-based consultation mechanism for proposed legal changes.

The jury at this year's Corporate Media Awards praised the European Patent Office for its fifteen films on the European Inventor Award 2011, which were "first-rate films of the highest quality, a prime example of successful communication between specialists and the general public".

Meeting in South-West China for their 5th Heads of Office Conference, EPO President Benoît Battistelli, and the Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (SIPO), Tian Lipu, engaged in in-depth discussions in how to enhance their co-operation, and signed a work programme.

The EPO and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China at their annual bilateral co-operation meeting held in Chongqing signed an agreement which will have a striking impact for the improvement of the global patent system and the dissemination of technological information in the world.

"Structured co-operation between the two systems is needed", the EPO's Wim van der Eijk said in his keynote speech in Brussels yesterday.

With the launch of a new free-of-charge information service from which patent offices and users alike will benefit, the 29th Annual Trilateral Conference of the EPO, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) opened a new era of advancing patent harmonisation across the globe.

Meeting for their Annual Trilateral Conference near Paris, France, the heads of the EPO, the Japan Patent Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office - collectively known as the Trilateral Offices - progressed in their efforts to further harmonise patent systems around the globe by agreeing on steps to enhance efficiency in patent-related procedures between the three regions.

Starting 1 December, Wim Van der Eijk will take over from Peter Messerli as Vice-President responsible for Directorate-General Appeals.

Public oral proceedings in appeal in the "tomato" case today did not end in a final decision on the patent, but with the announcement by the Board of Appeal of its intention to again refer questions of law to the Enlarged Board of Appeal

The 29th Trilateral Conference is taking place in St. Germain-en-Laye near Paris this week.

On 8 November, a technical board of appeal is holding public oral proceedings on the "tomato" patent (EP 1211926). They are part of an appeal case which will result in a decision to maintain the patent, possibly in amended form, or to revoke it altogether.

The EPO technical board of appeal dealing with the appeal against the "broccoli" patent has cancelled the oral hearing scheduled for 26 October in response to recent submissions filed by the parties involved in the case.

The EPO and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have launched a website on the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), a joint project aimed at developing a classification scheme for inventions that will be used by both offices.

Opening the 21st EPO Patent Information Conference, which is taking place in Kilkenny this week, Mr Battistelli highlighted the importance of worldwide patent data, and drew parallels with open government initiatives in the US and Europe.

We have set up a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a LinkedIn group for people interested in working at the EPO.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met with European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services Michel Barnier at the EPO headquarters in Munich today to discuss the planned introduction of a unitary patent.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and President of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property of the Russian Federation (Rospatent), Dr Boris Simonov, signed an agreement this week on joint activities to further develop co-operation in IP matters.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and President of the Brazilian National Industrial Property Institute, Mr Jorge Ávila, signed an agreement this week on joint activities to further develop co-operation in IP matters.

Every year the EPO awards the EPO Prize for Originality to young scientists demonstrating qualities that distinguish successful inventors. This year's winning teams come from Lithuania, Switzerland and Turkey.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Bozidar Djelic in his first official visit to the country

Alison Brimelow, who served as President of the EPO for three years from 2007 to 2010 has been awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Grosses Bundesverdienstkreuz).

The European Commission, the EPO, the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) and the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the European Union met in Brussels this week to mark the end of the EU-China Project for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights.

The EU-China IPR2 cooperation project on the protection of Intellectual Property held a closing ceremony last week at the EU Delegation to China in the presence of 13 ministries and enforcement agencies to commemorate the completion of over 200 technical assistance and training activities across China.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and the President of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO), Ms Amparo Fernández González, this week signed an agreement on co-operation activities in Latin America.

The public nomination phase for the European Inventor Award 2012 is now open. Anyone can join in the search for Europe's finest inventors.

Heads of Offices and representatives from Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, UK, the USA and the EPO met upon the invitation of EPO President Battistelli at Tegernsee on 5 - 6 July 2011 for a meeting to consider the state of affairs concerning patent law harmonisation.

The EPO was ranked first for patent quality among the world's five largest patent offices for the second consecutive year in a survey of corporate and private practice IP professionals.

In his first official visit to San Marino, EPO President Benoît Battistelli met today with representatives of government, academia and industry, to discuss how to further strengthen the country's intellectual property system, in particular with the support of the San Marino Patent and Trademark Office.

The introduction of new services at patent information centres (PATLIBs) can boost demand and improve customer satisfaction, participants in a pilot project told the PATLIB2011 conference in The Hague at the end of May.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli highlighted that closer co-operation between the EPO and its member states is crucial to improving the IP landscape in Europe.

German and French versions have been introduced and new sections have been added for Online services and Learning & events.

The Office received a record number of patent filings in 2010.

The European Commission today announced plans to revamp Europe's IPR.

The European Inventor Award 2011 goes to pioneers in medical research and implant technology, clean energy, construction and water purification

The Director-General of the Tunisian National Institute for Standardization and Industrial Property (INNORPI), Aymen Mekki, and the President of the EPO, Benoît Battistelli, have signed an agreement to cooperate more closely on patent protection.

The agreement recognises the need for standards makers to share information to help improve the quality of patents.

Benoît Battistelli and OHIM President Antonio Campinos signed an MoU

The multi-lingual TV channel shows the first of a series on the European Inventor Award nominees at 19.45hrs CET tonight.

The EPO is sad to announce the death of former Vice-President Norman Wallace, who passed away on 29 March.

European Commission presents its draft regulations on unitary patent protection

Filings at the European Patent Office grew by 11% in 2010

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met with the minister of justice and the head of the State Patent Bureau during his first official visit to Lithuania

The EPO's Vice-President for Appeals received the outstanding achievement award from the magazine at a ceremony in London yesterday.

European companies, inventors and scientists to benefit from free, real-time translation from and to 32 languages, enabling faster and more cost-effective patent research 

"The decision of EU member states today is a decisive step forward to improve the European patent system", EPO President Benoît Battistelli said.

The EPO welcomes the delivery of the opinion of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) on the compatibility of the envisaged European and EU Patent Court Agreement with the EU Treaties published today.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli and Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism, Traycho Traykov, discussed Bulgaria's IP system and the impact of a unitary patent system at meetings in Sofia last week

Europe's most prestigious innovation prize will be presented in five categories on 19 May in Budapest. With their talent for innovation, Europe's inventors benefit society as a whole, says EPO President Benoît Battistelli.

With its new structure, design and search engines, the new EPO website, now officially launched, puts the needs of professional users in focus.

The new EPO website puts the needs of professional users in focus. Take a look at our beta version for a sneak preview of the new structure and design.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met with Prime Minister Sali Berisha and with Nasip Naço, Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy, to discuss how to further develop Albania's system for the protection of intellectual property.

The CPC will be based on the International Patent Classification (IPC) system, which is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The EPO joined the celebrations marking the official launch of the IYC 2011 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris last week. Chemistry inventions account for around a third of all patent applications filed with the Office.

The system introduced and used by the EPO to tag patent applications in the field of nanotechnology has now been accepted internationally under the International Patent Classification (IPC) system.

The EPO received 232 000 European patent filings in 2010 and granted 58 100 patents

The 6th ASEAN-EPO Heads of Intellectual Property Offices Conference takes place in Hanoi this week.

Guillaume Minnoye and Raimund Lutz today take up office as new vice-presidents at the European Patent Office (EPO).

French candidate received the required qualified majority of the votes cast.

The Secretariat of the Administrative Council has received applications from Sweden, France, Switzerland and Denmark. The Council will hear the candidates at its October meeting.

At its 116th meeting, the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (EPO) has decided to appoint Benoît Battistelli as its next Chairman. Mr Battistelli is Director General of France's I nstitut national de la propriété industrielle (INPI), and has served as Deputy Chairman of the EPO's Administrative Council since 2006. His three-year term as Chairman of the Council will run from 5 March 2009 until March 2012, and will not affect his functions as head of INPI and of the French delegation in the Council.