2019

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.