2018

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.