Patent Knowledge Week 2023

Akinkunde Ifeanyi Agunbiade is an Associate at AELEX, a leading law firm in Nigeria and Ghana. He is also a Responsible AI Fellow with the Stimson Centre, contributing to discussions on sustainability, innovation, local deployment, labour relations and inclusive design. He is the author of the book, "Artificial Intelligence & Law: A Nigerian Perspective (2019)". In 2020 and 2023, he contributed to WIPO discussions on AI and IP, and on the African perspective on generative AI. He is a certified AI systems auditor under the ForHumanity UK/EU GDPR certification scheme. Part of the committee that drafted Nigeria's National AI Policy, he contributed sections on risk classifications, AI and gender, disability and Nigeria's responsible AI commitment.

Geert Boedt  holds a BSc in applied informatics. After many years working in IT for international organisations, he joined the EPO in 2004 in the Espacenet customer support area and subsequently gained experience in all of the EPO's public patent information tools. He advises researchers and policy makers worldwide on the correct interpretation of patent data and value indicators and has many years of experience presenting patent analytics topics.

Catherine Bonner.Having graduated from St Andrews University with a Physics degree, Catherine went on to complete a PhD at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (University of Southampton), with research into planar waveguide devices. After entering the profession in 1999 and spending many years in private practice, she joined Murgitroyd in 2019 following its acquisition of Chapman IP. Prior to joining Chapman IP, she spent three years as a patent attorney in Dyson Technology's IP division. A tutor on the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys' tutorial programme, she co-authored the CIPA training manual for trainee patent attorneys. She regularly lectures on IP law at both the University of Southampton and the University of Reading.

Vera Buriánek is currently working as Lawyer with the EPO's "IP Lab", Vera graduated from Ludwig Maximilian University Munich and the University of California at Berkeley with a specialisation in "Law and Technology". Her previous professional experience includes working as an attorney-at-law focussing on patent litigation. She contributes to patent law commentaries and periodicals on a regular basis.

Sonia Cooper, Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft, has over 20 years of experience advising on intellectual property and innovation in the tech sector, specialising in Artificial Intelligence. A chartered and European patent attorney, Sonia was previously Head of Patents at Skype. Having served as patent counsel for Microsoft Research in Cambridge, Sonia now leads IP policy in the Open Innovation Team for Microsoft. Sonia has recently concluded her term as President of the IP Federation and chairs the Federation's Data and Copyright Committee. Sonia is the Data Policy lead for Open UK and a passionate advocate for open data.

Hélène Dernis is an analyst in the Productivity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE) division of the Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). She is currently responsible for the STI Micro-data Lab, an infrastructure that integrates and combines administrative records on intellectual property rights with other micro-level data. Since joining the OECD, she has contributed to the development of new metrics based on IP data for measuring inventive activity at the level of countries, regions and firms.

Diego Eguidazu Alonso has served as Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the EPO since May 2019. As such, he has been a key contributor towards the digital transformation of the EPO, combining his expertise in technology and leadership to steer information management in an ever-evolving digital landscape. He chairs the SACEPO Working Party on e-Patent Process, the dedicated user forum accompanying the EPO's efforts in digital transformation.

Dr Rachel Free is a partner in the patent team at International Law Firm CMS where she helps clients to protect their technology through patents. She has an MSc in Artificial Intelligence and a DPhil in Vision Science. She qualified as a European and UK patent attorney in the last century and has worked on AI patent drafting and prosecution through her career. Rachel is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on AI (APPG AI) which advises parliamentarians regarding AI. She is vice Chair of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) computer technology committee and is mentioned in the 2019 legal 500 CMS entry for law firms with patent attorneys as having ‘deep technical knowledge’

Dr. Udo Gennari holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry and has 20 years of industrial R&D experience and 17 years as an IP expert serving Upper Austrian companies. Udo has offered IP services since 2006, providing advice on property rights. He is well connected nationally and internationally as European IP Helpdesk Ambassador. He provides free IP services for EEN clients and European and international innovation networks, and leads the Business Upper Austria PATLIB centre. Udo supports IP commercialisation with patent valuation, successful patenting with novelty searches and IP counselling, and provides universities with assessments of employee inventions and recommendations for take-up.

Torsten Gerber is Director of Patent Intelligence at Robert Bosch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany. He studied Electrical Engineering at the Technical University Dresden. After graduation he worked as an engineer in development of hardware and software. Torsten joined Bosch in 1991 and started as a patent searcher in the Corporate Intellectual Property Department. He is a member of the Patent Documentation Group and chairing the Working Group IMPACT.

Kazuhide Hara joined the Japan Patent Office in 2007. Since 2023, he is Deputy Director, Patent Information Policy Planning Office at Japan Patent Office.

Christopher Harrison heads the IP analytics section at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and is a Qualified Patent Information Professional (QPIP).

He joined WIPO as Patent Analytics Manager in 2023 and previously spent 15 years at the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). Christopher has a master's degree in systems engineering and worked as a patent examiner at the UKIPO before moving into the field of IP analytics in 2010. Christopher has a particular interest in emerging technologies and the role that data-driven IP research plays in understanding the impact of future technologies on the IP framework and innovation ecosystem.

Pierre Held holds an engineering degree, a diplôme d'études approfondies in organic molecular and supramolecular chemistry and a PhD in organic chemistry. He joined the EPO in 1997 as a patent examiner in organic, combinatorial and industrial chemistry, then went on to manage international projects in patent classification. He led the CPC cooperation project under the EPO's Strategic Plan, overseeing development of classification services, including the AI-powered CPC text categoriser to be showcased during Patent Knowledge Week. He now works in the EPO's European and International Affairs department, where he manages international co-operation on classification and fosters collaboration with the USPTO, the IP5, WIPO, national patent offices, industry stakeholders and other public users. He is also a trainer and presenter at in-house and external events.

David Horat is Director of Patent Knowledge at the European Patent Office. David's journey at the EPO started as a patent examiner and the creation of the first AI pre-search algorithm. He then headed Prior-art Data Management, transforming an IT department of 150+ people in 10+ locations, delivering 1 000+ data pipelines, 2+ petabyte of data and innovative tools. Before joining the EPO, David was IT Director at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands, where he led the digital transformation, and software engineer at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and at Ericsson. David holds an MSc in computer science and a LL.M. in intellectual property and business management.

Teodora Kandeva.Since 2015, Teodora Kandeva has served as a lawyer at the EPO. After joining European Legal Affairs in DG5, she took an active part in the UPC's Preparatory Committee, in which the EPO was an observer.As a member of various working groups of said Preparatory Committee, she has been involved in drafting the rules governing the Registry, the Service and Staff Regulations.Shortly before the period of provisional application of the UPC Agreement, she took over, ad interim, the UPC Secretariat and still retains key functions therein.

As of January 2023, she is officially seconded to the UPC's Registry in Luxembourg, assisting the Registrar of the Court in his various functions, not least the supervision of the functioning of the Register/CMS.

Rainer Kaysan joined the EPO in 2006 as a patent examiner, where he performed a variety of tasks ranging from prior art searches to chairing opposition proceedings. Since October 2023, Rainer has been Head of Innovation Networks. The department is responsible for promoting business and technology commercialisation, connecting and dynamising the network of Innovation Support Centres (PATLIBs), the High Growth Technology Business Initiative and future knowledge transfer initiatives. He holds a Master's degree in aerospace engineering and business economics.

Brian J. King is a licensed IP attorney and Head of Government and Industry Relations in the Clarivate IP segment, based in Washington, DC. Part of the Clarivate Strategy team, Brian drives industry engagement and advocacy with patent and trademark offices globally. Brian has experience in a variety of technical, legal, and business leadership roles with IP companies and domain name registrars. He is Vice Chair of the International Trademark Association (INTA) Data Protection Committee, and is active in ICANN’s IP Constituency (IPC). Brian is Vice Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) IP Section USPTO Trademark Practice and Policy Committee and is Co-Chair of the Section’s NFT Taskforce. Brian is admitted to practice law in the State of Delaware.

Andrée Lahaye holds a degree in bioengineering and a PhD in molecular biology. She worked at the science company Solvay as a researcher in genetic engineering and later as a patent information specialist. She joined the EPO's Directorate Cooperation in 2003 and the Directorate Patent Information Promotion in 2012. She is Product Marketing Manager for Espacenet.

Dana Lee is currently a deputy director at the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) in Daejeon, Korea. She has been responsible for international affairs in the Patent Legal Administration Division since November 2021, following a decade working as a patent examiner in the Mobile Communications Examination Division. Before that, she was a Korean patent attorney with Y.P. Lee, Mock & Partners. She completed her PhD in law at Seoul National University and holds an LL.M from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.S. in engineering from Ewha Womans University, where she was recognised on the Dean's List. Admitted to the Korean patent bar in 2006 and the Illinois bar in 2019, she is also a 2016 recipient of the Fulbright Graduate Study Award in Social Sciences.

Sofie Leplae graduated from the University of Leuven. She joined the EPO in 2007 as a patent information officer in the Data Services and INPADOC Team.

Stefan Luginbühl,PhD, lawyer, heads the department Patent Law Policy and Harmonisation (Dep 5212) at the European Patent Office, where he deals with a wide range of patent law and patent litigation-related subjects, with emphasis on the implementation of the EU Unitary Patent package into the existing European patent system. He participated in several diplomatic and intergovernmental conferences on the reform of the European patent system and the international litigation system. He is a lecturer at various universities and the author and editor of several books and articles on patent procedure and patent litigation in Europe and China.

Tania Malmierca works as Information Management Expert in the department Prior-Art Data Intake, which oversees the reception standardisation, linking and loading of all worldwide prior-art data into the EPO search databases.

Cornelia Peuser recently appointed Stream Leader Transformation and Diversity at the EPO's newly launched Observatory on Patents and Technology, Dr Cornelia Peuser has made it her mission to make patent data and insights available, accessible, comprehensible and usable for everyone, while promoting a broader and deeper understanding of IP in general. Before joining the EPO, she gained extensive experience in addressing client needs with Dennemeyer IP Consulting (Munich, Germany) and teaching diverse student populations at both undergraduate and postgraduate level at Abertay University (Dundee, Scotland). Cornelia holds a PhD in innovation economics and bachelor's and master's degrees in economics with sociology.

Heli Pihlajamaa, Principal Director, Patent Law and Procedures, EPO, isresponsible for all patent law and procedures-related matters under the EPC and PCT, including operational developments, simplification and digitalisation of the procedures, as well as policy aspects related to patentability. The principal directorate also deals with the Unitary Patent-related tasks assigned to the EPO. Heli studied law at Helsinki University and at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, and has written several books and articles on patent law.

Thorsten Rohde. An organic chemist by training, Thorsten held positions as researcher in process development, IP specialist and sales rep with their Intermediates division at BASF SE, Ludwigshafen.He then moved on to work for CAS as a strategic account manager. In his role, Thorsten serves a number of global customers, providing them with CAS tools like STN and looking at new ways for them to interact with CAS content and capabilities.When not busy travelling or trying out things on STN, Thorsten likes to ride his motorcycle or visit concerts.

Roberta Romano-Götsch is Chief Sustainability Officer at the EPO and is passionate about the UN SDGs and ESG. Prior to that, she served as Chief Operating Officer in the healthcare, biotechnology and chemistry sector, and before that the mobility and mechatronics sector, where she was responsible for leading more than 1600 patent examiners, managers, formalities officers and administrative staff in Munich, Berlin and The Hague. Roberta is a chemist by education and obtained a PhD in organic chemistry from the Technical University of Munich. She was R&D product manager at Procter & Gamble before joining the EPO in 1997.

Ilja Rudyk serves as Senior Economist at the European Patent Office. He provides expert economic insight into issues relating to innovation and technology commercialisation, and has co-authored several studies on the role of patents and technology in the European economy.

Andrew Samm is a QPIP certified patent searcher with 20 years’ experience working with clients to construct appropriate search strategies to conduct novelty, validity, and clearance searches across all technical fields, as well as produce patent landscape reports specific to a business portfolio or technology sector. In his current capacity as Director of Customer Success at Patently, Andrew spearheads strategic initiatives to streamline patent search processes, enhance research methodologies, and ensure the delivery of accurate and comprehensive patent information in a simplified format to assist users in navigating the complexities of intellectual property.

Yolanda Sánchez García joined the EPO in Vienna in 2002. She is responsible for promoting the European Patent Register, including the new Register for Unitary Patent protection, providing training and conducting market research. She is also actively involved in planning and developing new register services and features, including the Federated Register, Register Alert and the Unitary Patent Register, guided by the results of user consultations. Yolanda holds a PhD in organic chemistry (Universidad de Barcelona and Molecular Research Institute, Palo Alto, California), a post-doctoral degree (Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich) and a post-graduate degree in marketing.

Johannes Schaaf  holds an MBA and a master's degree in physics. He worked as an engineer and innovation consultant in the corporate technology unit at Siemens and led its community of practice on innovation management. He was an examiner in the area of laser technology at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office. In 2005, he joined the European Patent Office in Vienna and now works in the directorate Patent Knowledge. He is involved in PATSTAT, patent insight reports and the technology platforms.

Paul Schwander is currently Director of IT Co-operation Partnerships at the European Patent Office, where he manages the EPO’s patent information and IT co-operation activities with national offices across the globe. Previously, he was a director both in external products and services and in information acquisition, with responsibility for overseeing EPO search and patent filing services for external users and managing the acquisition of technical prior art databases. During his career, he has also served as an EPO Liaison Officer, with responsibility for patent information co-operation at the Belgian Patent Office and the European Commission, where he created and managed the IPR Helpdesk. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from Centralesupélec and a Patent Law degree from CEIPI (Center for International Intellectual Property Studies).

Xavier Seuba. Prior to joining the EPO as Principal Director of Patent Intelligence, Xavier Seuba was Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and academic co-ordinator and Director of Programmes at the Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) at the University of Strasbourg. Having worked for international organisations and governments, his areas of expertise are international trade law, intellectual property enforcement, pharmaceutical regulation and innovation policies. With over one hundred scientific publications in the areas of IP enforcement, trade and IP, and standardisation, he is a member of several academic associations.

Christian Soltmann is a Product Manager in the EPO's Patent Intelligence Principal Directorate. He holds a PhD in materials science and a MAS in intellectual property. He joined the EPO in 2013 and is today involved in the maintenance and further development of the EPO's worldwide legal event data (INPADOC) service. Further to these activities, he supports the EPO in creating EPO patent insight reports and its technology platforms, and contributes to the training activities of the European Patent Academy.

Jamie Soon is a high-performing leader and scientist with over 15 years of experience leading technical operations in both corporate and entrepreneurial environments. She helps companies design and turn good ideas into patentable inventions that align with their business vision. Jamie holds a PhD in Chemistry, specialising in nanotechnology, and a master's in IP Law and Management. This duality allows her to deep dive technically and connect to obtainable IP Rights. Jamie was nominated President of the International Institute for IP Management in 2021. She is the founder of NextUp, a deep tech start-up programme to improve diversity and inclusion in tech. She has also served as jury for Cartier Women's Initiative and Hello Tomorrow since 2018.

Vesna Vajsbaher has been working for the EPO since 2004. She is a patent information data specialist responsible for bulk data sets at the EPO and user support for the EPO's Open Patent Services (OPS) API. She is responsible for consulting users on how to choose and use patent information data from the EPO and regularly contributes data-related content for various Patent Knowledge News articles and in data and OPS/bulk data discussion forums.

Thorsten Zank holds a PhD in plant molecular biology and biochemistry. He joined BASF in 2003 as a research scientist and innovation manager in plant biotechnology. In 2009, he joined the information department as an IP analyst for industrial and plant biotechnology. Today, he heads two groups in the IP department; one provides IP intelligence services for biosciences and the other implements digital technologies in patent information and develops new services provided by IP analysts. A member of the European advocacy group for patent information PDG (Patent Documentation Group), he chaired the strategic dialogue with the patent information providers for several years. In 2021, he was appointed president of the Patent Documentation Group.

Patent intelligence – a look into the future
Xavier Seuba, European Patent Office

In 2023, we celebrate 50 years of the EPO. Over this period, we have seen a previously almost unimaginable evolution in technology and the expectations of society. Where are we today in the area of patent intelligence at the EPO? From the challenges of new information arising from the recently introduced Unitary Patent system to certifications, the Patent Academy, Artificial Intelligence and planning a sustainable future in the new Strategic Plan, the story remains one of change and focusing on bringing value to our stakeholders. 

AI and its impact on patents and patent searching
Sonia Cooper, Microsoft

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most consequential technologies of our time, transforming how we innovate and create, advancing a new paradigm of scientific discovery. What does this mean for inventorship and the patent system? In the era of generative AI, what should we keep in mind to ensure that the patent system supports innovation and serves society at large?

Analysing IP data to support evidence-based policymaking
Hélène Dernis, OECD

IPR aim to stimulate innovation by enabling inventors to appropriate the returns on their investments. They play an important role in the creation, dissemination and use of new knowledge for further innovation. Since the early 2000s, the OECD has been relying on IP data to address policy-related issues related to innovation, technological developments and entrepreneurship, among others.

Leveraging AI and two decades of examiner expertise for enhanced patent classification at the EPO
Alexander Klenner-Bajaja, European Patent Office

This presentation delves into the approach of the European Patent Office (EPO) in utilising 20 years of examiner manual classification data to train a multi-label predicting language model. This model, designed to cover the comprehensive scope of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) scheme, serves as a robust tool for examiners in the classification of patent applications. We will explore how this model not only enhances our automated search framework, Pre-Search, but also significantly reduces the labour-intensive aspect of manual classification. The discussion will include technical details, a look at the tools employed by our team and a preview of plans to make this model accessible to a broader audience in the future.

Connecting patent data with other sources of data
Ilja Rudyk, European Patent Office

Patent data is an important source of technical information and a valuable tool for monitoring technological and economic trends. In this session, we will elucidate how the Chief Economist unit at the EPO leverages patent applicant information to enrich patent data with pertinent business and financial data.

The EPO technology platforms: Firefighting technologies, clean energy technologies, fighting coronavirus
Christian Soltmann, European Patent Office

As the leading provider of high-quality patent information worldwide, the EPO plays its part in helping companies and the general public to derive value from the technical, legal and business information in the data. The EPO has stepped up its efforts over recent years to make patent information not only available but really useful. An important example of this is that the EPO has created web platforms that make patent information in specific technical fields available to the public in a particularly user-friendly way. The main purpose of these platforms is to make it easy for researchers and decision-makers to accesses resources and find relevant patent information in those fields. This presentation will provide an overview of the concept and structure of those platforms, and show how patent information can be accessed in a convenient manner using the platforms.

Overview: the first six months of the Unitary Patent
Stefan Luginbüuehl, European Patent Office

Stefan will briefly present how a Unitary Patent can be obtained and what the benefits are, outlining the uptake so far.

Unitary Patent-related information in the EPO's patent information data, tools and services
Yolanda Sánchez García and Sofie Leplae, European Patent Office

The Unitary Patent (UP) came into force on 1 June 2023 and with this, data relating to unitary effect became available in the EPO's patent information tools and services, providing users with an additional layer of patent information. During this presentation Yolanda and Sofie will present an overview of some of the EPO patent information products, such as the European Patent Register and Espacenet/OPS, which provide UP-related information. You will learn how to search for patents with unitary effect and have a look at some of the UP data displayed in these products, for example register events or INPADOC legal events.

Focus on visibility of case-related information of the Unified Patent Court
Teodora Kandeva, Unified Patent Court

The presentation will focus on where and how to search case-related data (on the CMS as well as information available on the UPC website). Practically speaking, participants will be guided through the "search marks" of the CMS and the website.Indications will be given on which elements of the case file are open to external users on the CMS and which elements are not accessible, or only on reasoned request. In this regard, a short historical background will be given on Rule 262 UPC RoP.A brief overview will be provided on up-to-date case law on accessing documents and pleadings by third parties.

The new Observatory on Patents and Technology: focus on startups
Cornelia Peuser and Ilja Rudyk, European Patent Office

We will introduce the EPO’s new Observatory on Patents and Technology, a first port of call for anyone interested in the future of innovation, the Observatory quantifies and explores trends and challenges throughout the innovation ecosystem.

AI-powered CPC text categoriser
Pierre Held, European Patent Office

This year, the EPO and USPTO are celebrating ten years of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). Originally a bilateral initiative, the CPC is now used by a growing community of currently 38 patent organisations, making it a truly global classification system. We will showcase the EPO's CPC text categoriser, a CPC symbol predictor powered by artificial intelligence that, at the push of a button, suggests CPC symbols for patent-related free text entered in English, French or German. Since 7 November 2023, it has been available to the public via the EPO's Single Access Portal (more information on the EPO website).

Building your IP strategy: a checklist for startups
Jamie Soon, I3PM

Do you know what IP Strategy is? I am constantly surprised by how many IP professionals do not. In this lecture, I will explain:

• The link between IP strategy and business growth
• How to build an IP strategy from scratch
• IP rights that startups (and companies) should know and some that are often overlooked
• Setting S.M.A.R.T goals: Where are you now, what can you do better and how?

PATLIBs and SMEs - a success story. How an Upper Austrian SME reaped a global harvest with a ground-breaking innovation
Udo Gennari, Business Upper Austria

In this session, a case study will be presented that shows how a ground-breaking invention in the field of agricultural technology was able to be successfully marketed and licensed globally with the valuable support of a PATLIB centre providing patent valuation as an important basis for successful licensing. The case is an excellent example of combining ingenuity with proper IP understanding and IP strategy, encompassing a patent portfolio with patents granted in relevant markets and stressing the importance of good market knowledge for identifying and satisfying client needs with innovations offering significant advantages.

Afternoon Lab:
Introduction to PATSTAT: the EPO's flagship product for statistical analysis
Geert Boedt, European Patent Office

"Without data, you're just another person with an opinion" (W. Deming). Successful strategic decisions are always based on correct insights based on solid data. The PATSTAT database is the EPO's flagship product to provide decision-makers, be it for policy, business or research, with a solid worldwide data set on patent filings. It can provide companies with data to help identify competitors, as well as possible cooperation partners. It allows researchers to find peer researchers working in the same technological area. It enables the identification of technological hotspots as well as areas of declining or stagnating innovation. The lab will provide you with an overview of what data is available in PATSTAT and illustrate its capabilities with some use cases. 

Afternoon Lab:
Get the most out of your patent searches with Espacenet
Andrée Lahaye, European Patent Office

Do you have some basic knowledge of patent searches and would you like to discover what Espacenet has to offer you?  Then come and join this interactive journey to explore and test the main building blocks of Espacenet.

Afternoon Lab:
Patent evaluation with the new IPscore 3.0
Johannes Schaaf, European Patent Office

The evaluation of ideas and patents are crucial for successful portfolio managers to be able to focus resources on the most important inventions. IPscore uses assessment factors from the areas of technology, marketing, finance, strategy, and intellectual property for a comprehensive evaluation. The lab will explore the evaluation process with the new Excel-based IPscore version 3.0.

Afternoon Lab:
Exotic kind codes and suffixes in worldwide patent information
Vesna Vajsbaher, European Patent Office

How do you make sure you are interpreting patent information correctly without leaving out important documents just because you are not familiar with the kind code? Are you able to be confident in your data without having to know every single patent procedure, every single data collection particularity, and every single change in data for every single time period of a specific worldwide patent data bibliographic dataset or publication?  

There are almost as many kind codes and suffixes in patent information data as there are letters in an alphabet. We have a few tricks and workarounds in store to help you use and interpret worldwide patent information with newfound confidence more efficiently than ever before.

Afternoon Lab:
Mapping the innovation terrain: exploring patent analytics and the evolving role of the analyst
Christopher Harrison, World Intellectual Property Organization

Patent analytics is a growing area and the choice of data sources, tools, providers and outputs these days can be overwhelming. The increased use of AI tools within the field is changing the day-to-day tasks of the analyst but the importance of the role has not changed. This presentation will discuss how the analyst’s role is evolving in a good way but that, at its core, remains the key skill of communicating highly technical and complex subject matter in an engaging manner through the use of data storytelling.

DOCDB/INPADOC – the backbone of the EPO's data collections: coverage and completeness
Tania Malmierca and Sofie Leplae, European Patent Office

DOCDB is the central component of the EPO's prior-art master data resource. It hosts all the worldwide patent bibliographic data that allows the different elements of a patent document to be connected: the citing and cited pairs, the facsimile image, the full-text and so on. It is not only the backbone of the EPO's internal search systems but also of many other patent information products, such as Espacenet and PATSTAT.

INPADOC is the EPO's collection of worldwide legal event data, covering over 50 patent authorities and 420 million events. DOCDB/INPADOC are essential to the patent knowledge community, guaranteeing access to the latest updates in prior art and procedural information.

Fintech and IP protection
Catherine Bonner, Murgitroyd & Company

The hot topic of fintech and IP will be explored from an in-house perspective, together with parallel commentary from private practice. We will delve into the business of finance and its regulation, considering challenges to patenting in this area and highlighting new trends and opportunities in open banking and current research areas such as cryptography. We will also present some successes and recent observations.

Searching data on patent term adjustments in Japan and in the Republic of Korea
Kazuhide Hara, Japanese Patent Office
Dana Lee, Korean Intellectual Property Office

These two presentations will introduce the most important features of patent term adjustments – term extensions granted for delays in the granting procedure – in Japan and in the Republic of Korea. Users will also learn how to search the related information in free available online sources.

Promoting global innovation - the EPO's Knowledge Transfer initiatives to Africa
Rainer Kaysan, European Patent Office

This presentation will showcase the successful collaboration between the EPO's Innovation Network department and its partners from African universities, and experts from the PATLIB network. The aim is to foster innovation and technology transfer in synergy with organisations already active in this field, such as the national/regional IP offices (NPOs) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation's (WIPO) network of Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISC).

Sharing patent intelligence to support the UN SDGs
Roberta Romano-Götsch, European Patent Office

In today's interconnected world, technology bridges boundaries and opens new opportunities for growth and development. In 2015, we committed to a common vision worldwide: to join forces to meet the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Global success depends on access to know-how. Hear how the collective intelligence of inventors worldwide contained in patents helps overcome humanity's greatest challenges and supports the UN SDGs.

International developments in patent information: past, present, and future achievements
Paul Schwander, European Patent Office

The European Patent Office has a long history of collaborating with other patent offices worldwide, particularly in the field of patent information, and of developing common tools for examiners and external users.  

In this presentation we will share a number of fascinating stories linked to major international achievements in the field of patent information and tools. By vividly bringing recent and older accomplishments to life, we will give you a richer, more comprehensive understanding of their significance. We will also explore the potential for further developments in the near future through continued co-operation activities. 

A look at the history, present and future of patent knowledge
David Horat, European Patent Office

The corpus of patent knowledge stands as a testament to human ingenuity. This presentation will explore the evolution of patent knowledge at the EPO, its historical milestones and the transformative impact of technological advancements on its accessibility and dissemination. From the genesis of patents, it traces the progression from rudimentary records to today's sophisticated, global systems. Furthermore, the talk will illuminate the current state of patent knowledge, focusing on the EPO's pioneering strategies and digital innovations to manage and share this invaluable information. It reveals the challenges and triumphs that have shaped the domain of patents and highlights the possibilities that await in patent knowledge management.