View source for European Patent Office

{{Short description|One of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox organization
|name         = European Patent Office
|bgcolor      = <!-- header background color -->
|fgcolor      = <!-- header text color -->
|image        = Official_European_Patent_Office_Logo.jpg
|image_border = 
|size         = 150px
|alt          = <!-- alt text; see [[WP:ALT]] -->
|caption      = 
|abbreviation = EPO
| predecessor         = [[Institut International des Brevets]]
|formation    = {{Start date and age|1977}}
|extinction   = <!-- date of extinction, optional -->
|type         = 
|status       = <!-- ad hoc, treaty, foundation, etc -->
|purpose      = 
|headquarters = [[Munich]], Germany<ref name="6(1)">{{EPC Article|6|1}}</ref>
|location     = 
|coords       = <!-- Coordinates of location using a coordinates template -->
|region_served =
|membership   = 
|languages     = {{hlist | English | French | German}}
|leader_title = President
|leader_name  = [[António Campinos]]
|main_organ   = <!-- gral. assembly, board of directors, etc -->
|parent_organisation = [[European Patent Organisation]]
|affiliations = <!-- if any -->
|num_staff    = 6,403 (Dec. 2020)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://documents.epo.org/projects/babylon/eponet.nsf/0/66A405546212DDF4C12586FC00330A90/$FILE/social_report_2020_en.pdf|title=Social Report 2020|year=2021|work=EPO|access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>
|budget       = {{Euro|2.357&nbsp;billion|link=yes}} (2020)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.epo.org/modules/epoweb/acdocument/epoweb2/412/en/CA-50-19_Add._1_B_en.pdf|title=Comprehensive Summary 2020 Budget|year=2020|work=EPO|access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>
|website      = {{url|www.epo.org}}
|remarks      =
}}
{{European patent law}}

The '''European Patent Office''' ('''EPO'''){{#tag:ref|The abbreviation "EPOff" has been also used to refer to the European Patent Office, in order to distinguish it from the European Patent Organisation, see European Patent Office web site, [http://www.european-patent-office.org/legal/epc/e/ma9.html ''European Patent Convention (EPC), Alphabetical keyword index.''] Consulted 17 November 2007.|group=notes}} is one of the two organs of the [[European Patent Organisation]] (EPOrg), the other being the [[Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation|Administrative Council]].<ref>{{EPC Article|4|2}}</ref> The EPO acts as executive body for the organisation<ref name="4(3)">{{EPC Article|4|3}}</ref><ref name="Gowers134">[http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/6/E/pbr06_gowers_report_755.pdf Gower's Report on Intellectual Property] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319012329/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/6/E/pbr06_gowers_report_755.pdf |date=19 March 2008 }}, para 1.34</ref> while the Administrative Council acts as its supervisory body<ref name="4(3)"/> as well as, to a limited extent, its legislative body.<ref name="Gowers134"/><ref name="art33">{{EPC Article|33}}</ref> The actual legislative power to revise the [[European Patent Convention]] lies with the Contracting States themselves when meeting at a Conference of the Contracting States.<ref>{{EPC Article|172}}</ref>

Within the European Patent Office, [[patent examiner|examiners]] are notably in charge of studying European patent applications, filed by applicants, to decide whether to [[Grant procedure before the European Patent Office|grant]] a patent for an invention. The patents granted by the European Patent Office are called European patents.

==Function==
[[Image:European Patent Office Munich.jpg|thumb|260px|EPO headquarters in [[Munich]], Germany]]
[[Image:Aerial image of the Deutsches Museum Munich (cropped).jpg|thumb|260px|Aerial image of the headquarters in Munich (center), above it on the other side of the river [[Isar]] the science museum [[Deutsches Museum]], to the left the [[German Patent and Trademark Office]]]] 
[[Image:Berlin, Kreuzberg, Gitschiner Strasse 97-103, Kaiserliches Patentamt 01.jpg|thumb|260px|EPO sub-office in Berlin]]
The European Patent Office (EPO) grants European patents covering the Contracting States to the European Patent Convention and several other states that have concluded [[European Patent Organisation|extension and validation agreements]] with the EPO. The EPO provides a single [[Grant procedure before the European Patent Office|patent grant procedure]], but not a single patent from the point of view of enforcement. Hence a patent granted by the EPO is not a single or unitary European Union patent or uniformly recognised Europe-wide patent, but a bundle of national patents.<ref name="Gowers134"/> Patents granted by the EPO can, however, be challenged centrally at the EPO via [[Opposition procedure before the European Patent Office|opposition proceedings]]. Besides granting European patents, the EPO is also in charge of establishing [[patentability search report]]s for national patent applications on behalf of the patent offices of France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, San Marino, Lithuania, Latvia and Monaco.<ref>See Article 1 of [http://www.epo.org/patents/law/legal-texts/journal/president/archive/20101020.html Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 5 October 2010 on the filing of copies of search results under Rule 141(1) EPC – utilisation scheme] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023005743/http://www.epo.org/patents/law/legal-texts/journal/president/archive/20101020.html |date=23 October 2010 }}, EPO web site, Notices and decisions of the President, 20 October 2010. Consulted on 22 October 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2013/20131009.html | title = Simplified conditions for patenting for Lithuanian inventors | date = 9 October 2013 | publisher = European Patent Office | access-date = 25 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2013/20131022.html | title = Co-operation with San Marino on national searches | date = 22 October 2013 | publisher = European Patent Office | access-date = 25 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=31 March 2017|title=Notice from the European Patent Office dated 8 March 2017 concerning the processing by the EPO as International Searching Authority of informal comments on earlier search results ("PCT Direct")|journal=Official Journal of the European Patent Office|publisher=European Patent Office|issue=March 2017|url=http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2017/03/a21.html|access-date=31 March 2017}}</ref>

===Role in the unitary patent===
Since the [[European patent with unitary effect]] (also called "unitary patent") entered into force on 1 June 2023, some administrative tasks relating thereto are performed by the EPO. Those tasks include the collection of [[renewal fees]] and registration of unitary effect upon grant, exclusive licenses and statements that licenses are available to any person. Decisions of the EPO regarding the unitary patent are open to appeal to the [[Unified Patent Court]] (UPC), rather than to the [[EPO Boards of Appeal]].<ref>[[s:Agreement on a Unified Patent Court#Article 32 .E2.80.93 Competence of the Court|Article 32(1)i, Agreement on a Unified Patent Court]], implementing Article 9.3 of [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:361:0001:0008:EN:PDF Regulation 1257/2012]</ref>

==Legal status==
The European Patent Office is not a [[juristic person|legal entity]] as such,<ref>Decision [https://www.epo.org/law-practice/case-law-appeals/recent/t031012eu1.html T 1012/03] of 1 December 2006, Reasons 29.</ref> but an organ of the European Patent Organisation,<ref name="4(2)(a)">{{EPC Article|4|2|a}}</ref> which has a [[juristic person|legal personality]].<ref>{{EPC Article|5|1}}</ref>

==Location and staff==
The EPO headquarters are located in [[Munich]], Germany.<ref name="6(1)"/> The EPO has also a branch in [[Rijswijk]], Netherlands, near [[The Hague]],<ref name="6(2)">{{EPC Article|6|2}}</ref><ref>[http://www.epo.org/law-practice/case-law-appeals/recent/g880007ep1.html Enlarged Board of Appeal decision G 7/88 (Administrative Agreement) of 16.11.1990], Summary of Facts and Submissions, V.(3)</ref> sub-offices in [[Berlin]], Germany,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/epc/2020/e/ma3.html |title=Protocol on the Centralisation of the European Patent System and on its Introduction (Protocol on Centralisation) of 5 October 1973 as revised by the Act revising the EPC of 29 November 2000|at=Section I, (3)(a) |publisher=European Patent Office|access-date=15 November 2022}}</ref> and [[Vienna]], Austria, and an office for liaison with the EU institutions in [[Brussels]], Belgium.<ref>{{cite web | title=Locations | website=EPO| date=19 January 2023 | url=https://www.epo.org/en/service-support/contact-us/locations | access-date=2024-01-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110075808/https://www.epo.org/en/service-support/contact-us/locations| archive-date=2024-01-10}}</ref> At the end of 2019, the European Patent Office had a staff of 6 608 (with 3 675 based in Munich, 2 624 in Rijswijk, 227 in Berlin, 87 in Vienna and 3 in Brussels). The EPO comprised staff from 35 different nationalities, with 74% having a nationality different from that of the country they work in. In terms of [[gender diversity]], 34% of all staff members were women. One quarter of managers were women, a slight increase on previous years. In 2019, the EPO spent over EUR 5 million on {{clarify|text=talent development activities|reason=The term "talent development" sounds very much PR-oriented. |date=February 2021}}, with 94% of staff receiving at least one training activity during the year.<ref>European Patent Office, [http://documents.epo.org/projects/babylon/eponet.nsf/0/626FCEF63B72E852C1258593002640F4/$FILE/social_report_2019_en.pdf ''Annual Report 2019. Staff and resources''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714165148/http://www.epo.org/about-us/office/annual-reports/2009/staff-resources.html |date=14 July 2010 }}, Fig. 2 Analysis of staff in post on 31 December 2009 by place of employment & grade. Consulted on 1 June 2010.</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=February 2021}}

The premises of the European Patent Office enjoy a form of [[extraterritoriality]]. In accordance with the Protocol on Privileges and Immunities,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/epc/2020/e/ma5.html |title=Protocol on Privileges and Immunities of the European Patent Organisation (Protocol on Privileges and Immunities) of 5 October 1973 |publisher=European Patent Office|access-date=15 November 2022}}</ref> which forms an integral part of the European Patent Convention under {{EPC Article|164|1}}, the premises of the European Patent Organisation, and therefore those of the European Patent Office, are inviolable.<ref>Protocol on Privileges and Immunities, Article 1(1).</ref> The authorities of the States in which the Organisation has its premises are not authorized to enter those premises, except with the consent of the President of the European Patent Office.<ref name="privil-imm-1(2)">Protocol on Privileges and Immunities, Article 1(2).</ref> Such consent is however "assumed in case of fire or other disaster requiring prompt protective action".<ref name="privil-imm-1(2)"/>

== Management ==
{| style="float:right; margin:1em 1em 1em 1em; width:25em; border: 1px solid #a0a0a0; padding: 10px; background-color: #F5F5F5; text-align:left;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|'''Presidents of the European Patent Office'''
|- style="text-align:left; font-size:x-small;"
|1. '''[[Johannes Bob van Benthem]]''' (1 November 1977 – 30 April 1985), Dutch.
|- style="text-align:left; font-size:x-small;"
|2. '''[[Paul Braendli]]''' (1 May 1985 – 31 December 1995), Swiss.
|- style="text-align:left; font-size:x-small;"
|3. '''[[Ingo Kober]]''' (1 January 1996 – 30 June 2004), German.
|- style="text-align:left; font-size:x-small;"
|4. '''[[Alain Pompidou]]''' (1 July 2004 – 30 June 2007), French.
|- style="text-align:left; font-size:x-small;"
|5. '''[[Alison Brimelow]]''' (1 July 2007 – 30 June 2010), British.
|- style="text-align:left; font-size:x-small;"
|6. '''[[Benoît Battistelli]]''' (1 July 2010 – 30 June 2018), French.<ref>EPO web site, [http://www.epo.org/topics/news/2010/20100301.html ''Benoît Battistelli elected EPO President''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306140135/http://www.epo.org/topics/news/2010/20100301.html |date=6 March 2010 }}, News, 1 March 2010. Consulted on 2 March 2010.</ref>
|- style="text-align:left; font-size:x-small;"
|7. '''[[António Campinos]]''' (from 1 July 2018), Portuguese-French.
|}
The European Patent Office is directed by a president, who is responsible for its activities to the Administrative Council.<ref>{{EPC Article|10|1}}</ref> The president also represents the European Patent Organisation.<ref>{{EPC Article|5|3}}</ref> The president has therefore a dual role: representative of the European Patent Organisation and head of the European Patent Office.<ref>Decision [https://www.epo.org/law-practice/case-law-appeals/recent/t031012eu1.html T 1012/03] of 1 December 2006, Reasons 35.</ref> The President of the European Patent Office is appointed by the Administrative Council.<ref>{{EPC Article|11|1}}</ref> A majority of three-quarters of the votes of the Contracting States represented and voting in the Administrative Council is required for the appointment of the President.<ref>{{EPC Article|35|2}}, which refers to "Article 11, paragraph 1".</ref><ref>See for instance: EPO web site, [http://www.epo.org/topics/news/2009/20091030.html ''Decision on next EPO President deferred''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227054305/http://www.epo.org/topics/news/2009/20091030.html |date=27 December 2010 }}, News, 30 October 2009. Consulted on 31 October 2009.</ref>

The President is assisted by a collective body known as the Management Advisory Committee (MAC). Currently, the MAC comprises the President, three Vice-Presidents and several Principal Directors and Directors. Each MAC member is responsible for a specific business area and reports to the President. The MAC is expected to implement initiatives in alignment with general policy and propose initiatives or policy changes that could impact the activities of the EPO.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epo.org/about-us/leadership-and-management.html|title = Leadership & management}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=February 2021}}

More generally, the "management of the EPO is dominated by the delegates of the contracting States in the Administrative Council," these delegates being, according to Otto Bossung, primarily guided by their national interests rather than by supranational interests such as for instance the implementation of the [[EU internal market]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bossung |first=Otto |title=The Return of European Patent Law in the European Union |journal=IIC |volume=27 |issue=3/1996 |access-date=30 June 2012 |url=http://www.suepo.org/public/background/bossung_en.htm |quote=Thus the management of the EPO is dominated by the delegates of the contracting States in the Administrative Council. It is entirely natural that their thoughts and actions are primarily guided by their responsibilities in the national sector. Hence it is national interests, the interests of the national patent offices, national patent attorneys, national lobbies, national business sectors and other national interests, that are the decisive forces within the Administrative Council of the EPO. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304232011/http://www.suepo.org/public/background/bossung_en.htm |archive-date=4 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Languages ==
[[Image:European Patent Office Munich-sign.JPG|thumb|left|Signage at the [[Munich]] office of the European Patent Office, in its three official languages: German, English and French.]] The three official languages of the European Patent Office are English, French and German<ref>{{EPC Article|14|1}}</ref> and publications including the [[European Patent Bulletin]] and [[Official Journal of the European Patent Office]] are published in all three of those languages.<ref>{{EPC Article|14|7}}</ref>

European patent applications may be filed in any language<ref>{{EPC Article|14|2}}</ref><ref name="A‑X, 9.2.1 Conditions - Guidelines for Examination">{{EPO Guidelines|a|x|9|2|1}} "Conditions"</ref> provided that a translation into one of the official languages is submitted within two months if the language of filing is not an EPO official language.<ref>{{EPC Rule|6|1}}</ref> The official language in which the application is filed or into which it is translated is taken to be the language of the proceedings<ref>{{EPC Article|14|3}}</ref> and the application is published in that language.<ref>{{EPC Article|14|5}}</ref> Documentary evidence may also be submitted in any language, although the EPO may require a translation.<ref>{{EPC Rule|3|3}}</ref>

Some Contracting States to the European Patent Convention have an official language which is not an official language of the EPO, such as [[Dutch language|Dutch]], Italian or Spanish. These languages are referred to as "admissible non-EPO languages".<ref name="A‑X, 9.2.1 Conditions - Guidelines for Examination"/> Residents or nationals of such States may submit any documents subject to a time limit in an official language of that State<ref name="EPC Article|14|4">{{EPC Article|14|4}}</ref> and there is a period of one month for filing a translation into an official language<ref>{{EPC Rule|6|2}}</ref> or the document is deemed not to have been filed.<ref name="EPC Article|14|4"/> The filing fee and examination fee are reduced by 30% for certain categories of applicants, namely for [[small and medium-sized enterprises]], [[natural persons]], and "non-profit organisations, universities or public research organisations", when filing a patent application or an examination request in an admissible non-EPO language and subsequently, or at the earliest simultaneously, file the necessary translation.<ref name="A‑X, 9.2.1 Conditions - Guidelines for Examination"/><ref>{{EPC Rule|6|3}}, {{EPC Rule|6|4}}, and [http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/epc/2020/e/articl14.html RFees 14(1)]</ref>

== Departments and directorates-general==
[[Image:The new European Patent Office in Rijswijk.jpg|thumb|right|Branch of the EPO at [[The Hague]], [[Netherlands]]<ref>Under {{EPC Article|6|2}}.</ref> (more precisely at [[Rijswijk]], a suburb of The Hague)]]
The European Patent Office includes the following departments to carry out the procedures laid down in the EPC:<ref>{{EPC Article|15}}</ref>
* a Receiving Section, responsible for the examination on filing and the examination as to formal requirements of European patent applications;<ref>{{EPC Article|15|a}} and {{EPC Article|16}}</ref>
* Search Divisions, "responsible for drawing up European search reports";<ref>{{EPC Article|15|b}} and {{EPC Article|17}}</ref>
* [[Grant procedure before the European Patent Office|Examining Divisions]], responsible for prior art searches and the examination of European patent applications;<ref>{{EPC Article|15|c}} and {{EPC Article|18|1}}</ref>
* [[Opposition procedure before the European Patent Office|Opposition Divisions]], responsible for the examination of oppositions against any European patent;<ref>{{EPC Article|15|d}} and {{EPC Article|19|1}}</ref>
* a Legal Division, "responsible for decisions in respect of entries in the Register of European Patents and in respect of registration on, and deletion from, the list of professional representatives";<ref>{{EPC Article|15|e}} and {{EPC Article|20|1}}</ref>
* [[Appeal procedure before the European Patent Office|Boards of Appeal]], "responsible for the examination of appeals from decisions of the Receiving Section, the Examining Divisions and Opposition Divisions, and the Legal Division";<ref>{{EPC Article|15|f}} and {{EPC Article|21}}</ref> and
* an Enlarged Board of Appeal to notably ensure uniform application of  patent law.<ref>{{EPC Article|15|g}} and {{EPC Article|21}}</ref>

The above departments of European Patent Office are organized into three "Directorates-General" (DG), each being directed by a Vice-President, the DG Patent Granting Process, the DG Corporate Services, and the DG Legal and International Affairs, and a Boards of Appeal Unit, acting as the EPO's judiciary.<ref name="Structure of the European Patent Office">{{cite web |title=Structure of the European Patent Office |url=https://www.epo.org/about-us/services-and-activities/services.html |website=epo.org}}</ref> According to [[Sir Robin Jacob]], the members of the EPO Boards of Appeal are "judges in all but name".<ref>Sir Robin Jacob, ''National Courts and the EPO Litigation System'', [[GRUR Int.]] 2008, Vol. 8–9, pages 658–662, referring to what he said in ''Lenzing's Appn.'' [1997] RPC 245 at p. 277 and repeated in ''Unilin v. Berry'' [2007] EWCA Civ. 364.</ref>

The European Patent Office does not make decisions on [[patent infringement|infringement]] matters. National courts have [[jurisdiction]] over [[Enforcement of European patents|infringement matters regarding European patents]]. Regarding the validity of European patents however, both the European Patent Office during [[opposition procedure before the European Patent Office|opposition proceedings]] ({{EPC Article|99}}) and national courts during nullity proceedings ({{EPC Article|138}}) may decide to revoke a European patent.

== Activities under the Patent Cooperation Treaty ==
In the international procedure according to the [[Patent Cooperation Treaty]] (PCT), the European Patent Office acts as a Receiving Office, an International Searching Authority (ISA), an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) and, with effect from 1 July 2010, as a so-called Supplementary International Searching Authority (SISA).<ref>[http://www.wipo.int/edocs/pctndocs/en/2010/pct_news_2010_04.pdf PCT Newsletter No. 04/2010], page 1, "European Patent Office to Offer Supplementary International Search", and page 7, "Notification under PCT Rule 90.4(d) and 90.5(c) (European Patent Office)" ("... to include its capacity as Supplementary International Searching Authority (SISA).")</ref> The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) provides an international procedure for handling patent applications, called international applications, during the first 30 months after their first filing in any country party to the PCT. The European Patent Office does not grant "international patents," as such patents do not exist. After 30 months (or, for a few countries, after 20 months)<ref>As of October 2009, three countries: Luxembourg, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, see [http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/texts/reservations/res_incomp.html PCT Reservations, Declarations, Notifications and Incompatibilities (status on 29 September 2009)] (PCT Articles, 22(1)) and {{PCT Article|22|1}} (See "Editor's Note").</ref> an international application must be converted into national or regional patent applications, and then are subject to national/regional grant procedures.

As Supplementary International Searching Authority (SISA), the European Patent Office has announced that it will conduct no more than 700 supplementary international searches per year.<ref>[http://www.wipo.int/pct/guide/en/gdvol1/annexes/annexsisa/ax_sisa_ep.pdf PCT Applicant’s Guide – International Phase – Annex SISA, SISA International Searching Authorities (Supplementary Search) EP European Patent Office (EPO)], 3 June 2010, page 2. Consulted on 6 June 2010.</ref>

== Online services ==
The EPO offers on its web site several free services, including [[Espacenet]] and [[Open Patent Services]] (OPS) for searching within its collection of patent documents, the legal texts published in its [[Official Journal of the European Patent Office|Official Journal]], the [[European Patent Register]] containing legal information relating to published European patent applications and European patents<ref>{{EPC Rule|143}}</ref> (the European Patent Register also allowing the inspection of files under {{EPC Article|128}}), and a publication server of the European patent applications and patents. There is also the CMS software for filing European patent applications online.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

== International cooperation ==

The EPO engages in several forms of international co-operation within and outside of Europe, with other intellectual property offices, as well as with international organisations that are outside of the patent system.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.epo.org/about-us/services-and-activities/international-european-cooperation.html | title=European and international co-operation }}</ref> The EPO cooperates with the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] (USPTO) and the [[Japan Patent Office]] (JPO) as one of the [[Trilateral Patent Offices]]. It also works with the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the [[Korean Intellectual Property Office]] (KIPO), China's [[National Intellectual Property Administration]] (CNIPA) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in a co-operation known as the "five IP offices" or IP5.<ref>See [http://www.fiveipoffices.org/index.html Five IP offices website].</ref>

On 27 April 2017, the EPO and the [[Eurasian Patent Organization]] (EAPO) signed a program enabling increased work-sharing and accelerated treatment of patent applications between both patent offices. The agreement, known as the [[Patent Prosecution Highway]] (PPH), was signed by the presidents of the EPO and EAPO in [[Munich]]. The EAPO president Saule Tlevlessova stated, "The signing of this bilateral PPH agreement opens a new page in the history of EAPO-EPO co-operation, and will serve to benefit applicants and our offices."<ref>{{cite web |title=EPO and Eurasian Patent Office agree to launch Patent Prosecution Highway|url=https://www.epo.org/news-events/news/2017/20170427a.html|access-date=23 February 2021}}</ref>

Currently, the EPO offers three types of cooperation agreements with non-member states<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epo.org/about-us/services-and-activities/international-european-cooperation.html|title = European and international co-operation}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=February 2021}} :
* Technical co-operation aims to align national or regional patent systems in emerging economies with the European patent system. It enables partners to access the EPO's tools or participate in pilot programmes such as the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) which offers a fast-track procedure. 
* Reinforced partnerships build on technical co-operation and  develop strategic ties in technical areas of mutual interest. Partner offices can avoid duplication of work through the re-use of EPO results.
* In the validation system, inventors and businesses filing for a European patent can extend the scope of protection to a validation state.  This scheme enables long-term technical cooperation that can be customised according to partner requirements.

== Employees' representation and labour relations ==
{{Recentism|section|date=September 2015}}
The main staff union active within the EPO is the "Staff Union of the European Patent Office" (SUEPO).<ref name=lemonde-2015>{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2015/04/06/un-si-bon-office_4610059_3232.html|title=Un si bon office|trans-title=Such a good office|last=Hopquin|first=Benoît|date=7 April 2015|work=Le Monde|language=fr|access-date=28 September 2015|location=Paris}} – English, German and Dutch translations of "Un si bon office": [http://www.suepo.org/public/ex15152cp.pdf "Such a good office"]</ref>

As an international organization, EPO enjoys immunity and national courts have—in principle—no jurisdiction regarding disputes in which EPO is a party. Labour disputes can be submitted by employees to the [[Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization]] (ILOAT).<ref>{{EPC Article|13|1}}</ref> Courts in the Netherlands have however on occasion taken jurisdiction when it found a breach of fundamental principles of human rights, based on [[European Court of Human Rights]] case law. Jurisdiction was assumed for example because the ILOAT procedure (of over 3 years) was too lengthy for a process involving health issues<ref>{{ECLI|ECLI:NL:GHDHA:2015:1245}}</ref> or regarding a conflict with labour unions, as no appeal to ILOAT or any other judicial organization was possible.<ref>Judgment: {{ECLI|ECLI:NL:GHDHA:2015:255}} – Unofficial English translation by SUEPO: [http://www.suepo.org/public/su15088cpe.pdf "Case No. 200.141.812-01"]</ref>  The background to the latter judgment was the ongoing conflict between EPO staff and management, in particular the refusal of EPO to recognise the staff unions, blocking of e-mail communication between the unions and their members and restriction of the right to strike.<ref name="volkskrant-02-2015">{{cite news|url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/opstelten-uitspraak-rechter-geldt-niet-voor-europese-instelling~a3873491/|title=Opstelten: Uitspraak rechter geldt niet voor europese instelling|trans-title=Opstelten: Court ruling does not apply to European institution|last=Feenstra |first=Willem|date=26 February 2015|work=De Volkskrant|language=nl|access-date=25 September 2015|location=The Hague}} – English, French and German translations of "Opstelten: Uitspraak rechter geldt niet voor europese instelling": [http://www.suepo.org/public/ex15104cp.pdf "Opstelten: Court ruling does not apply to European institution"]</ref> {{ clarify | date = October 2015 | reason =Shouldn't this read: "After service of the judgement to EPO, the then Dutch Minister of Security and Justice, Ivo Opstelten, ordered bailiffs not to ''execute'' the judgment."?  | text =After service of the judgement to EPO, the then Dutch Minister of Security and Justice, [[Ivo Opstelten]], ordered bailiffs not to perform service of the judgment. }} Opstelten's intervention was criticised by a number of Dutch legal experts including Cedric Ryngaert, Professor of International Law in Utrecht, who considered the Minister's intervention to be unusual: "Basically he erodes the power of the Court. International organisations are going to increasingly put themselves above the law, which is already a problem now. Opstelten relies on an Act from the seventies, which must be applied dynamically. Instead he takes a very conservative view."<ref name="volkskrant-02-2015"/>

Labour relations at the EPO during the presidency of Benoît Battistelli have been strained and marked by conflict with a noticeable escalation during 2014.<ref>[http://www.suepo.org/public/Streit_eskaliert_de_en_nl.pdf "Streit beim Europäischen Patentamt eskaliert"], Süddeutsche Zeitung, 11 March 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.ip-watch.org/2014/03/19/european-patent-office-staff-calls-strike-president-battistelli-reacts/ "European Patent Office Staff Calls Strike; President Battistelli Reacts"], Intellectual Property Watch, 19 March 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.worldipreview.com/news/epo-facing-more-strike-action-6738 "EPO facing more strike action"], [[World Intellectual Property Review]], 28 May 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.worldipreview.com/news/epo-staff-in-battistelli-fight-6816 "EPO staff in Battistelli fight" "], World Intellectual Property Review, 28 May 2014</ref> Staff discontent has been attributed to Battistelli's style of management which, according to reports in the German newspapers ''[[Die Zeit]]'' and ''[[Die Welt]]'', was perceived by staff as being unduly autocratic and unsuited to a European intergovernmental body such as the EPO.<ref>[http://www.zeit.de/2014/13/benoit-battistelli-epa-europaeisches-patentamt "Umstritten und souverän"], Die Zeit, 30 March 2014</ref><ref>English translation of "Umstritten und souverän": [http://www.unionsyndicale.eu/index.php/en/us-federale/publications-usf/doc_download/280-european-patent-office "Controversial and sovereign"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714200437/http://www.unionsyndicale.eu/index.php/en/us-federale/publications-usf/doc_download/280-european-patent-office |date=14 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/print/wams/wirtschaft/article131531177/Aufstand-der-Besserverdiener.html|title=Aufstand der Besserverdiener|trans-title=Uprising of the high-income earners|last=Tauber|first=Andre|date=24 August 2014|work=Die Welt|publisher=Axel Springer SE|page=4|language=de|access-date=2 September 2014}}</ref>

Concern has been expressed regarding the high number of suicides of EPO employees, five in over three years.<ref name=lemonde-2015/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://fazjob.net/ratgeber-und-service/beruf-und-chance/ingenieure/126252_Burgfrieden-in-der-Steueroase-Europaeisches-Patentamt.html|title=Burgfrieden in der Steueroase Europaeisches Patentamt|trans-title=Truce in the tax haven of the EPO|date=24 April 2015|work=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|language=de|access-date=28 September 2015|location=Munich}} – English, French and Dutch translations of "Burgfrieden in der Steueroase Europaeisches Patentamt": [http://techrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/FAZ-2015-04-24.pdf "Truce in the tax haven of the EPO"]</ref> The EPO President Battistelli dismissed the suggestions -by EPO staff union SUEPO- of a possible link between the suicide and working conditions at the EPO as "totally inappropriate" and accused the staff union of "abusing a personal tragedy and inciting controversy". The EPO staff union SUEPO said that a direct link between the suicide and the working conditions had not been demonstrated but that the Dutch Labour Inspectorate should be given the opportunity of investigating the matter.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/alarm-om-schrikbewind-bij-europees-patentbureau-na-vijfde-zelfmoord~a4138939/|title=Alarm om schrikbewind bij Europees patentbureau na vijfde zelfmoord|trans-title=Alarm about reign of terror at the European Patent Office after fifth suicide|last=Stoffelen|first=Anneke|date=10 September 2015|work=De Volkskrant|language=nl|access-date=25 September 2015|location=The Hague}} – English, French and Dutch translations of "Alarm om schrikbewind bij Europees patentbureau na vijfde zelfmoord": [http://www.suepo.org/public/ex15330cp.pdf "Alarm about reign of terror at the European Patent Office after fifth suicide"]</ref>

==Controversial investment fund==
In June 2018, the [[German Federal Court of Auditors]] ({{langx|de|link=no|Bundesrechnungshof}}) and financial experts criticized the planned establishment by the EPO of a [[investment fund|fund]], called "EPO Treasury Investment Fund" (EPOTIF), to manage 2.3&nbsp;billion euros of its assets, the fund including risky [[financial product]]s such as [[asset-backed securities]], [[mortgage-backed securities]], and [[credit default swaps]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sorge |first1=Petra |title=Die unheimliche Wette |trans-title=The uncanny bet |url=http://www.genios.de/presse-archiv/artikel/WW/20180622/die-unheimliche-wette/BA423365-1D99-48A1-9440-0468BE7631A9.html |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=WirtschaftsWoche |issue=26 |date=22 June 2018 |language=German}} (also available [https://suepo.org/public/ex18048cp.pdf here])</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sorge |first1=Petra |title=Scharfe Kritik an Finanzgebaren des Europäischen Patentamts |trans-title=Sharp criticism of financial practices of the European Patent Office |url=https://www.wiwo.de/politik/europa/rechnungshof-scharfe-kritik-an-finanzgebaren-des-europaeischen-patentamts/22722052.html |website=wiwo.de |publisher=Handelsblatt GmbH |language=German |access-date=19 February 2021 |date=24 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Parliamentary questions – Question for written answer E-003298/2020 to the Commission – Rule 138 – Clare Daly (GUE/NGL) – Subject: Establishment of a European Patent Organisation Treasury Investment Fund |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-003298_EN.html |website=europarl.europa.eu |publisher=European Parliament |access-date=19 February 2021 |date=2 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Parliamentary questions – Answer given by Mr Breton on behalf of the European Commission – Question reference: E-003298/2020 |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-003298-ASW_EN.html |website=europarl.europa.eu |publisher=European Parliament |access-date=19 February 2021 |date=15 September 2020}}</ref>

==Quality of granted patents==
At the end of the 2010s and into the 2020s, a decline in the quality of patents granted by the EPO was reported and criticised, as the decline in the quality of searches and examinations at the EPO is seen as harmful to the industry (more invalid European patents granted means more legal uncertainty in the market).<ref>{{cite web |title=German law firms raise concerns over EPO patent quality |url=https://www.worldipreview.com/patent/german-law-firms-raise-concerns-over-epo-patent-quality-16193 |website=www.worldipreview.com |access-date=24 February 2024 |language=en |date=15 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Richter |first1=Konstanze |title=Dissatisfied industry users push back against EPO quality measures |url=https://www.juve-patent.com/legal-commentary/dissatisfied-industry-users-push-back-against-epo-quality-measures/ |website=JUVE Patent |access-date=24 February 2024 |date=12 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Houldsworth |first1=Adam |title=EPO staff endorse industry patent quality complaints |url=https://www.iam-media.com/article/epo-staff-endorse-industry-patent-quality-complaints |website=www.iam-media.com |access-date=24 February 2024 |language=en |date=10 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Deteriorating patent quality: EPO under fire, management is not impressed |url=https://patentblog.kluweriplaw.com/2023/07/05/deteriorating-patent-quality-epo-under-fire-management-is-not-impressed/ |website=Kluwer Patent Blog |access-date=24 February 2024 |date=5 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Beat Weibel: Low quality patents harm European industry |url=https://patentblog.kluweriplaw.com/2023/11/24/beat-weibel-low-quality-patents-harm-european-industry/ |website=Kluwer Patent Blog |access-date=24 February 2024 |date=24 November 2023}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=notes}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website}}
*[http://www.patentepi.com/ Institute of Professional Representatives before the EPO] or "European Patent Institute (epi)"

{{European Patent Organisation}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:European Patent Organisation]]
[[Category:Regional patent offices]]
[[Category:International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authorities]]

[[de:Europäische Patentorganisation#Europäisches Patentamt]]