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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 28 June.

Conçu par les célèbres architectes Ateliers Jean Nouvel (Paris) et Dam & Partners Architecten (Amsterdam), ce bâtiment phare allie architecture contemporaine audacieuse et infrastructures modernes sophistiquées.

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.