Government officials and representatives of the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation (OBI) have met with a delegation from the European Patent Office (EPO), headed by EPO President António Campinos.
OBI Director General Panagiotis Kanellopoulos and his colleagues warmly received the EPO delegation in Athens on 26 September.
Nikos Papathanasis, Alternate Minister of Development and Investments, then received the EPO and OBI delegations for further talks the same day.
The meetings focused on expanding upon the successful track record of co-operation between the EPO and OBI, with a view to bringing about benefits for the entire European patent system, including in areas such as the digitalisation of patent services.
Further synergies were explored, including with regard to broadening the participation of Greek universities and talented Greek graduates in the EPO’s Pan-European Seal Young Professionals Programme and creating further opportunities for professional mobility between the two offices. Another key topic of the discussions was how patented technologies could be used to help resolve some of today’s most pressing societal challenges at national and European levels, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In addition, the EPO delegation outlined how the European Patent Office is
- continuously improving quality, consistency and timeliness
- looking to increase transparency and dialogue with users, through the forthcoming launch of the EPO Observatory
- preparing for the introduction of the Unitary Patent, which will simplify patent protection and enforcement in Europe, offering benefits to small and medium-sized enterprises in particular
Both parties agreed to continue to enhance co-operation with a view to creating a more sustainable European patent system with global impact.
