News

Every year, the European Patent Office revises its EPC Guidelines, PCT-EPO Guidelines, and UP Guidelines — and every year, European Patent system users have the opportunity to influence that process.
As part of the revision cycle, epi is collecting feedback from its members until 22 March 2026 to submit as a consolidated response.

Thank you to everyone who voted for the epi Council!

The results are in: the 139 council seats have been allocated, giving each EPC member state 2, 4, or 6 representatives, depending on its number of epi members.

The overview of the newly elected Council members is available here:

Oral proceedings before the Enlarged Board of Appeal will take place on 8 May 2026 at 10:00 hrs (Munich). The proceedings will be open to the public via livestream, and the access link will be published on the EPO website from 30 April 2026.

As epi members and European patent attorneys, we all know how essential well trained paralegals, formalities officers and patent administrators are to the quality and reliability of our work. With increasing procedural complexity, digitalisation and evolving legal frameworks, structured training and recognised certification have become essential across IP departments and practices.

epi has filed an amicus curiae brief in case G 1/25 before the Enlarged Board of Appeal, setting out its position on whether, and under which legal basis, the description of a European patent must be adapted following claim amendments.