Talk innovation: patent professional edition

In recent years the worlds of public research and startups have become more linked than ever, attracting a high share of investment and playing a vital role in European competitiveness. But this wasn't always the case. In this episode, cancer immunologist and entrepreneur Dr Jérôme Galon sheds light on how researchers have found increasing acceptance and support as they branch into business. To illustrate this, the 2019 European Inventor Award winner shares his journey as an INSERM researcher and successful biotech founder, discussing the pivotal role of technology transfer offices, what it takes to turn groundbreaking discoveries into real-world impact and the evolving role of today's scientists. The conversation is accompanied by insights from the EPO Observatory's recent study on “The role of European public research in patenting and innovation.” Host: Victor Arribas Martinez, Stream leader, EPO Observatory on Patents and Technology Guests: Dr. Jérôme Galon, Cancer immunologist and research director, French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) More information: EPO study: “The role of European public research in patenting and innovation” Profile of Dr. Jérôme Galon on the EPO website

Standards are the invisible protocols that ensure our devices and services work together seamlessly. But how do they relate to patents? And what does this mean for innovation and competition? Uncover how the interplay between standards and patents shapes technological progress. This discussion dives into how the Unified Patent Court and the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre aim to streamline patent litigation and enhance legal coherence across Europe. Finally, we introduce the European Patent Office's new dataset: the Patent Standards Explorer. By linking patent applications to standards documents, it offers a valuable resource for better understanding the innovation journey. More information: Standards and the European patent system, May 2025: full study Patent Standards Explorer dataset "Patents, standards and innovation: securing Europe’s competitive edge" event recording Narrator: Victor Arribas Martinez, Stream Leader, EPO Observatory on Patents and Technology Guest: Pere Arque Castells, Stream Leader, EPO Observatory on Patents and Technology Featuring insights from speakers at the EPO Observatory’s "Patents, standards and innovation: securing Europe’s competitive edge" event: Gabriele Mohsler, Vice President Patent Creation Management, Ericsson Kirti Gupta, Vice President and Chief Economist of Global Technology, Cornerstone Research Bowman Heiden, Director of the Center for Intellectual Property (CIP), University of Gothenburg Justus Baron, Director of BRELA and Research Director, Northwestern University Center on Law, Business and Economics Aleš Zalar, Director, Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre, Unified Patent Court Rian Kalden, Presiding judge of the 2nd panel of the Court of Appeal, Unified Patent Court Alexander Haertel, Cluster Lead Patents, Deutsche Telekom Sophie Pasquier, Principal Licensing Counsel, Philips

This episode delves into the principal challenges facing innovation in Europe, as outlined in Mario Draghi’s prominent report “The future of European competitiveness.” Listen to gain insight into: the role patent data plays in understanding innovation trends which technical fields Europe is lagging behind in compared to its competitors how the EPO’s high-quality patents and other activities contribute to the innovation process the critical factors that may impact Europe changing course. These important topics were tackled in a conversation between Gilles Requena, Chief Patent Research & Policies Officer at the EPO, and Alexandr Hobza, Chief Economist, Directorate-General for Research & Innovation at the European Commission, with moderation by Joff Wild, Head of Content at Sisvel and former Editor in Chief of IAM magazine. Additional links: ⁠Mario Draghi’s report: “The future of European competitiveness”⁠ ⁠New innovation strategy for EU is vital – says report⁠ (EPO news item)

Paper F will be sat for the first time during the spring 2025 European Qualifying Examination (EQE). In this episode, you’ll learn strategies and tips to help you understand and prepare for Paper F from a highly experienced patent attorney and candidate trainer. We'll also dive into the topic of declarative knowledge and shed light on the training courses and resources available to help you thrive. Moderator: Andrew Hards, European Patent Attorney and EQE tutor Guest: Oana Boncea, European Patent Attorney and member of the epi Professional Education Committee Further resources: https://www.epo.org/en/learning/learning-resources-profile/eqe-candidates Compendium (past papers) EQE Guide for Preparation Music credits: Opening background music: Music by AudioCoffee: https://freesound.org/people/AudioCoffee/sounds/736804/ Introductory/closing background sound for testimonial: Ambient Crescendo 001B by nlux -- https://freesound.org/s/620790/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Key figures from the intellectual property (IP) community discuss the perceptions of quality and shared effort between the EPO and applicants in driving patent quality. This episode explores key questions, including why patent quality is essential for businesses and how users can shape it. The conversation covers collaborative tools, legal robustness and ongoing initiatives aimed at enhancing clarity and consistency within the patent process. Guests: Steve Rowan, EPO, Vice-President Patent Granting Process Peter R. Thomsen, Institute of Professional Representatives before the EPO (epi), President Moderator: Joff Wild, Sisvel, Head of Content, and IAM, former Editor in Chief More information: Quality at the EPO

EQE 2025: Reformed and ready for the future The EPO is transforming the way patent practitioners are trained and tested. With a redesigned format and new content, the modernised European Qualifying Examination gives candidates the chance to demonstrate their legal knowledge and skills to prepare them for the real-world challenges they’ll face. In this 4-episode podcast series, published from September onwards, you will hear experts discuss the reasons for this reform as well as learn about its benefits for candidates. We’ll go into detail about what this reformed approach looks like and explore how next year’s new Paper F will help candidates with mastering the legal foundations they will rely on during their entire career. Subscribe to “Talk innovation: patent professional edition” Register now for the Paper F preparatory course EQE on epo.org EQE guide for preparation

Almost 8% of patent filings at the EPO in 2023 were for computer technology, which includes the rapidly growing field of artificial intelligence. But which types of AI are growing especially fast and why? What do experts mean when they say that 2024 is the year of the embodiment of AI? And could the next superantibiotic be designed by AI? Moderator: Jeremy Philpott, EPO Communications manager Guests: Wiebke Hinrichs, EPO patent examiner André Fonseca dos Santos, EPO patent examiner EPO's Patent Index 2023 7rex3xip - wgxu7efa

When dealing with disability, is gene therapy an ethical solution? Can technology encourage a more equitable world? Does society truly listen to people with a disability? In this special edition, we’ll meet several authors seeking answers to these complex questions. We’ll hear their creations before learning about the inspiration behind each tale. "Who am I?" by Brian Routledge, "L’ Expo" by Christophe Poizat and "Mosaïque" by Paule Gilis were the winning entries in EPO’s writing competition on the theme disability and innovation. The contest was open to all staff and formed part of our celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the European Patent Convention. Brian’s story also won the 2023 essay competition organised by the Brain journal and is published there (link below). ⁠"Who am I" by Brian Routledge on epo.org⁠ ⁠"Who am I" by Brian Routledge in the "Brain" Journal⁠ ⁠"The exhibition" by Christophe Poizat on epo.org⁠ ⁠"Mosaic" by Paule Gilis on epo.org⁠ ⁠

Hear what three of our users have to say about switching to the digital patent granting process with the help of our new generation of online MyEPO services. Moderated by Richard Garvey, Key Account Manager at the EPO and with the participation of Zhakalazky Carrion, Senior Manager Docketing & Client Records, and Alexis Dagostino, Docketing & Client Records Coordinator both at at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner; Christophe Ego, Patent Attorney at Winger and Kieran Donnelly, MyEPO Business Change Manager at the EPO. More about MyEPO services

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a disruptive technology coming of age. The EPO’s latest study reveals explosion in global patenting activity in 3D printing and other forms of AM, now being deployed in construction, healthcare and transport. Patent filings for AM inventions are increasing at eight times the rate across all technologies, as AM comes out of its niche as a prototyping tool and enters the mainstream at the centre of manufacturing. Moderator: Jeremy Philpott (Communications manager, EPO) Guests: Ilja Rudyk (Senior Economist, EPO) and Judy Ceulemans (Senior Expert, EPO) Download the study More about additive manufacturing on our website

Patent professionals: how do you steer clear of unclear terminology, ambiguous descriptions or overly complex claims in your applications? Do you have a strategy to deal with objections? How do you draft a quality application? If these questions have left you feeling stressed, relax! Our expert trio is here to help. Join an EPO examiner and two patent attorneys as they guide you through common patenting mistakes in four key areas: quality, pre-filing, application preparation and post-filing. Moderated by Rob Chapman, EPO examiner, with Sandra Pohlman, European Patent Attorney at df-mp, Munich, Germany and Thomas Remmerswaal, Dutch and European Patent Attorney at EP&C Patent Attorneys, Rijswijk, The Netherlands.