Munich, 6 July 2020 - The
European Patent Office (EPO) has published a new, expanding "Fighting coronavirus" platform designed to help researchers and
decision-makers benefit from patent information in their fight against the new
coronavirus. The first data sets released on this platform concerns antiviral
vaccines and pharmaceutical therapeutics, with more resources to be released in
the coming weeks covering, for example, diagnostics and medical technologies
and devices.
"Businesses which make intensive use of intellectual property rights
helped pull us through the 2008 crisis and we strongly believe innovation will
help drive Europe's recovery from the impact of COVID-19," said EPO
President António Campinos. "They're more resilient to economic shocks.
IPR intensive industries generate 45% of the EU's GDP and account for one in
three jobs. So it's crucial we give IPR-intensive industries all the support
they need right now."
EPO patent examiners
and analysts who are experts in these technologies have created a variety of
search statements to help scientists and decision-makers identify the most
relevant documents and innovations in these technical fields.
These search
strategies are especially suited to run on the EPO's free to use online patent
search interface: Espacenet. This public database contains more than 120 million documents from
more than 100 intellectual property authorities around the world.
For applicants who
require a fast track patent procedure, regardless of the technology they are
developing, the EPO offers accelerated prosecution of European patent
applications.
For more information, visit: https://www.epo.org/news-events/in-focus/fighting-coronanvirus.html
Media contacts European Patent Office
Luis Berenguer Giménez
Principal Director Communication
Rainer Osterwalder
Press spokesperson
EPO press desk
Tel.: +49 89 2399 1820
Mobile: +49 163 8399527
press@epo.org
About the EPO
With
nearly 7 000 staff, the European
Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service
institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin,
Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of
strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised
patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent
protection in up to 44 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people.
The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent
searching.
