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President of the European Patent Office and Patent Attorneys Sit down Together

Open letter leads to dialogue

The European Patent Office has started a constructive dialogue with patent attorneys and attorneys-at-law on the initiative of a number of law firms who are working to ensure that inventors and companies obtain reliable patent protection.

Munich, 8 November 2018: On 16 October, representatives from 12 law firms from all over Germany met with a delegation led by the new president of the European Patent Office, António Campinos. The officials from the European Patent Office listened carefully to the experiences, views and concerns of the patent attorneys and attorneys-at-law, and signalled their willingness to discuss the issues which are the cause of the disquiet. All sides were in agreement that on an international comparison, the EPO’s work in the past has been of a very high standard and that all parties are keen for this high standard to be maintained. The meeting ended with the EPA indicating its willingness to continue with the constructive dialogue that has now begun. Among the issues to be discussed will be how to define quality criteria as well as possibilities to investigate points of criticism and eliminate the causes of such criticisms.

Further information

You can read the original open letter here and also find the letter as resend.

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Dr. Eva Dörner

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German Patent Attorney

European Patent Attorney

UPC Representative

Chemist

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Maiwald is a leading law firm in the field of intellectual property rights. With approximately 240 employees in Munich and Düsseldorf, Maiwald comprehensively supports companies in securing, defending and enforcing their intellectual property rights. Clients include start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises and industrial groups in a wide range of industries. Approximately 80 patent attorneys and attorneys-at-law work internationally for clients in the fields of pharmaceuticals & biotechnology, organic chemistry & polymers, inorganic chemistry & building materials, food & agriculture, electrical engineering & mechanical engineering, communication & information technology, mobility & energy, displays & light, measuring & process engineering as well as medical technology & imaging. Maiwald advises and represents clients with regard to patents & utility models, supplementary protection certificates, trademarks & designs, copyright law, competition & antitrust law, compliance, contract law, employee invention law, pharmaceutical law, data protection and plant variety protection. The magazine Managing Intellectual Property named Maiwald “European SPC/Patent Prosecution Firm of the Year 2021”, “European Cross-Border Patent Litigation Team of the Year 2021” and “German Impact Case of the Year 2021”.