epi meets EPO Directorate-General 1

This Monday 25 November, experts from epi (coming from various committees including the European Patent Practice Committee (EPPC) and its technological groups for ICT, Mechanics, and Pharma, the OCC committee, the Guidelines Working Group and the Litigation Committee) participated in a hybrid meeting with the European Patent Office Directorate-General 1 Patent Granting Process.

Hosted at the EPO offices in The Hague, the session brought together experts in person and online, enabling wide-ranging discussions with EPO representatives. Opening remarks were delivered by Chris Mercer, Chair of the EPPC, alongside Razik Menidjiel, Chief Operating Officer Operations of the EPO, who both stressed the importance of fostering continued dialogue and collaboration between epi and the EPO.

The meeting, which lasted from 10:00 to 16:00, featured in-depth discussions on quality-related issues. epi shared its feedback on the EPO’s Quality, engaging in constructive dialogue on areas for improvement. The EPO also elaborated on its mechanisms for handling complaints and feedback, as well as on the role of the ombuds office.

Opposition proceedings were another point of the exchange. Key topics addressed included the EPO’s approach to meeting new deadlines under the UPC system, the potential for physical attendance in specific opposition cases, and the process for selecting members of Opposition Divisions, particularly the involvement of primary examiners from Examining Divisions.

The EPO provided insights into its current operational landscape, particularly into how examiners are adapting to digital environments. Discussions also touched on the evolving role of artificial intelligence, including automatic pre-classification, AI-supported classification, and the challenges of examining AI-related applications.