EPO to strengthen member state cooperation, unveils strategic plan
The European Patent Office (EPO) is to seek closer alignment with its member states, as well as other European and international institutions.
Yesterday, June 27, the EPO set out its Strategic Plan 2023 in which it identified strengthened cooperation with other patent bodies as a key objective.
The report said the EPO would put forward a new “catalogue of cooperation projects” with member states, aimed at simplifying IT infrastructure and promoting the convergence of practices between patent offices.
In the report, the EPO said it would propose a new funding structure for co-operation initiatives with member patent offices, whereby the EPO would provide 80% of the funding for such schemes. The remaining 20%, to be borne by the member states, could take the form of a “contribution in kind”.
The EPO is also to propose a new cooperation framework to the European Commission, to coordinate joint work between the two bodies. The cooperation programme would include “regular meetings both at the political and technical level,” the plan said.
In the strategic plan, the EPO also set out its intentions to expand its validation agreements which make European patents effective in countries not subscribed to the European Patent Convention.
Currently, the EPO has validation agreements with Morocco, Moldova, Tunisia, and Cambodia.
These agreements represented the “most advanced and strategic form of co-operation with non-member states,” the plan said.
The report also committed to assessing the feasibility of bringing the EPO, member states and the European Union Intellectual Property Office together “under the same cooperation platform”.
This could involve joint working groups and combined academy training.
Other objectives outlined in the plan include improving the quality of EPO services by, for example, improving the accuracy of translations of foreign patents; improving talent acquisition and development within the organisation; simplifying the EPO’s website and IT systems; and lowering the office’s carbon footprint.
EPO president António Campinos said the plan was a “clear vision of how we want our office to look in the future, and how we plan to achieve it”.
“We intend to be a more adaptable and agile organisation that can support inventors everywhere with improved and more responsive services,” he added.
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