This course has been designed for patent attorneys and IP professionals with experience in filing PCT applications with the EPO. It offers access to four webinars which provide an opportunity to find out more about updates on the services provided by the EPO, the latest developments in the PCT system and many practical aspects of the PCT procedure.

PCT Updates is an online seminar where an EPO team of PCT experts discuss the latest news and developments regarding the PCT: the amendments to the Regulations under the PCT,  the latest PCT developments on Covid-19 remedies and the entry into force of the new Rule 20.5bis. You can choose to watch the seminar in any of the three official languages of the EPO.

The European Patent Convention (EPC) sets out the legal framework for a single, harmonised patent granting procedure for the European patent, which exists in parallel with national patents subject to national prosecution procedures.

Post-grant litigation and enforcement procedures differ quite substantially across the EPC contracting states, as do the courts adjudicating on patent matters. This online course provides a country-by-country overview.

The course provides an introduction to:

a) the EPO and its grant procedure
b) to the different IP rights and their relevance in protecting the outcome of research
c) the concept of invention and the main patentability requirements
d) practical aspects of a successful research valorisation: case study

REGISTRATION

The set of recorded lectures around IP management tackle issues on IP strategy, valuation, evaluation and commercialisation. Experts from different areas provide an insight on those topics with many practical examples.

This distance learning course is offered to patent examiners at national IP offices who have started to use the EPOQUE Net tool. The course comprises on-line material, such as e-learning modules and will be articulated around a series of 6 virtual classroom (VC) sessions. The course has a focus on the hands-on experience, translated in the form of assignments, exercises and examples. The material will help EPOQUE Net users at national offices to efficiently perform searches using EPOQUE Net. The tutors are experienced EPO examiners. 

During the VC sessions, participants have the possibility to communicate live with the experts and ask questions.

In this course, you will discover how to devise an effective search strategy, how to evaluate the prior art you find and how to know when to stop searching.find out about the role and importance of strategies in the search process.

This distance learning course is offered to patent examiners of national IP offices, in particular those in charge of drafting communications on the merits of a patent application with respect to patentability requirements. Participants will broaden their skills in preparing the written search opinion accompanying a search report according to EPO Guidelines. Training will consist of on-line modules and tests. Recorded sessions of virtual classrooms which took place during the course OD09-2017 further enhance the understanding of the topics.

If you are interested in the course, get in touch with the Academy contact person at your office or with academy@epo.org.