CPE Seminars
The CPE seminars are organised by the epi in the framework of the current project of Continuing Professional Education (CPE), in collaboration with the European Patent Academy of the EPO and WIPO.
Seminars on "Opposition and Appeal"
Seminar series "Life of a patent"
Seminars on "Case Law"
In June 2018, a new seminar series on "Case Law" was launched by epi. The "Case Law" seminars will provide you with an overview of the most recent key decisions and developments in the EPO’s board of appeal case law. This collection of lectures offers a range of subjects, including procedural and substantive topics, and with a mixture of general-interest and more field-specific topics.
Organised by the epi, the seminar also includes the demonstration of a mock EPO Oral Proceedings. The speakers are epi experts together with technical and legal members of the Boards of Appeal..
The seminar includes discussions of the most recent Enlarged Board of Appeal decisions and other recent significant board of appeal case law, which every patent attorney should have in mind during examination proceedings, as well as during opposition and appeal proceedings. The speakers will also discuss important tactical and strategic aspects that identify how the decisions can act as useful tools, as well as guidance for avoiding pitfalls.
Further information about the scheduled events is available here.
Seminars on "Opposition and Appeal"
The "Opposition and Appeal" seminars will provide you with an intensive and practical overview of all relevant legal and practical issues concerning opposition and appeal proceedings before the European Patent Office.
The seminar will be given by two experienced speakers: Marcus Müller is a member of the Boards of Appeal of the EPO and Cees Mulder is a European patent attorney.
They will guide you through the various aspects of the proceedings including discussion of the landmark decisions of the Boards of Appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal, which every patent attorney should have in mind at the start of and during opposition and appeal proceedings. The speakers will also discuss important tactical and strategic aspects, such as 'how to draft a European patent application to avoid problems later in opposition and appeal'. The seminar is intended for patent attorneys, heads and members of patent and legal departments and attorneys at law.
Further information about the scheduled events is available here.
Seminar series "Life of a patent"
In 2013 epi started a series of seminars on the "life of a patent".
The series covered 4 topics:
- "Pre-drafting"
The first part of this event focuses on "Invention and Patentability". The epi speaker discusses the difference between novelty and inventive step, and explains prior art and searching. The second part gives tips on how to interview an inventor. The third part concentrates on filing strategies. All parts include practical examples. - "Drafting of Applications"
epi and EPO speakers present this seminar together, to provide views from both sides. The topics include "patentable inventions", "state of the art, "sufficiency of disclosure", "claim drafting" and "drafting the description and the drawings". The speakers use practical examples to make the subject matter understandable. - "Prosecution"
epi and EPO speakers discuss different patent attorney and EPO approaches to each stage of prosecution, such as filing and search, publications and replies to office actions. This event also looks at amendments, grant of a patent and the validation of European patents. As with the previous seminars, the speakers illustrate their points with practical examples. - "Opposition"
The epi and EPO speakers explain the important aspects of opposition procedure. The participants gain a better insight through practical examples and discussion of those examples with the speakers.