View articles by subject:
IP Resources
EPO aims for well-informed patent system
Stakeholders from academia and industry are set to speak at Patent Information on Innovations: a conference to be staged in Moscow on 17 July by the European Patent Office (EPO) in association with the Russian Patent Office.
In the words of EPO media relations director, Rainer Osterwalder, ‘Patent information is one of the most important resources available to catch up with state of the art knowledge.’
Osterwalder says that a high quality patent information service is key to ensuring that the EPO patent system supports innovation. Together with the application of strict requirements for granting patents, the availablility of information will help the EPO to face several challenges in the field, such as the growing number of patent applications.
Significantly, this approach is being strengthened at a time when patent offices and courts around the world are striving for higher quality. This has been especially true in the United States, where the Supreme Court has recently restored power to the ‘obviousness test’, giving guidance to the lower courts.
The EPO also recently released results of their Scenarios for the Future project. After two years in the making and 150 interviews with major players in European IP, this EPO information initiative discusses how patents will be treated in 15 to 20 years¹ time. The results provide fascinating reading for anyone keen to envisage how politics, ethics, science, business and the law will shape the progress of patent policy.
Click here for details about Patent Information on Innovations, and here to read more about Scenarios for the Future.
Add to RSS: 
Add this page to:
User Comments
Post a comment
Related Articles
- Carbon trading drives 'green' patents surge
Global interest in clean energy solutions from carbon funds and technology giants is stimulating a surge in 'green' patents, according to a new study. The report, Carbon Trading: Patently Set for Grow…
- WIPO report shows rise in global filing
Global patent filing is continuing to rise, according to latest findings from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Based on 2006 figures, its new World Patent Report shows a marked gro…
- Business methods focus of Peer-to-Patent expansion
New York Law School and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have announced that their Peer-to-Patent project is to expand, as a result of its successful first year, for at least anot…
- Lords make landmark ruling on 'obvious' question
On Wednesday 9 July, the House of Lords reached a landmark verdict on the long-running Conor v Angiotech case involving a patent for a drug-coated medical stent. Overturning rejections of Angiotech's …
- 'Patentbook' sums up first year's activity
Peer-to-patent, the experimental networking website for open discourse on innovation, has reported the major findings of its first year in operation. The site reveals that information from its peer us…
- IP on the Smallest Small Scale
Nanotechnology, or manipulation at the molecular or ‘nano’ scale, is such a new phenomenon that science is still exploring its potential. as a result, the IP industry is also playing catch…
- US calls for head of WIPO to answer allegations or resign
The United States has called for the head of the WIPO to publicly answer allegations of dishonest conduct or to see him resign.
The WIPO Secretariat rejected charges by diplomats regarding an offic…
- OIC hails WIPO development trend
Underlining its commitment to development, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) held a ‘retreat’ for Geneva-based representatives of the Organisation of the Islamic Conferen…
- Asian filing stats show promise
A 4.7% hike in worldwide patent filing, spurred on by the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), has been stimulated by increased activity in Asia. This finding comes from the 2007 Patent Report by the Worl…
- Patent offices make dual filing top priority
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Japan Patent Office (JPO) announced at the end of July that they have launched a new system for the electronic exchange of priority documents.…
