This distance learning course is offered to patent examiners at national IP offices. Participants will learn to apply the criteria for clarity as well as the methodology for determining the unity of invention in line with the EPO practice (Guidelines and Case Law). Virtual classroom sessions allow for direct interaction with EPO expert tutors.

This distance learning course is offered to patent examiners at national IP offices. Participants will learn to assess novelty and inventive step in line with the EPO practice (Guidelines and Case Law). Virtual classroom sessions allow for direct interaction with EPO expert tutors.

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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.

This series of four one-hour virtual classrooms cover some of the topics offered in the second half of 2018 in the series of seminars EPO2day, which had been designed for patent attorneys and IP professionals with experience in filing and prosecuting European patent applications. They deal with four different aspects of procedural and substantive law before the EPO.

Practice is the key to your preparations for Paper D of the EQE. From October to December 2018, D-type questions were sent on a daily basis to subscribers. Registration to the 2019 edition will open in July.

"Boards of Appeal and key decisions" is an annual conference where experienced patent practitioners, judges and staff from national patent offices meet to discuss the most recent key decisions and developments in the EPO's boards of appeal case law.

On 4 December 2018 the EPO hosted as the first major patent office a conference entitled “Patenting Blockchain”, an event designed to open a discussion around the impact of Blockchain on the patent system. This course room offers access to the recordings of the lectures and panel discussions.

The conference Examination Matters has become the meeting place for patent attorneys dealing with the EPO in the patent granting procedure. This course room offers access to the recordings of three public webinars covering some of the most popular topics of the event.

This series of three one-hour virtual classrooms will introduce the main concepts of the substantive law specifically applicable in the field of healthcare. We will also be looking at the approach adopted by EPO examiners in dealing with patent applications in this area. The focus will be on showing practical example, so that you can optimise patent prosecution before the EPO.
The fee of EUR 80 covers all three one-hour virtual classroom sessions. 

This self-paced training course gives an in-depth overview on the opposition procedure at the EPO.

Pan-European Seal: this on-line course is mandatory for candidates in international & legal affairs (DG5).

This course gives an insight into the specific patentability requirements and legal basis for particular topics such as biotechnology, computer-implemented inventions or patents based on traditional medicinal knowledge.

This self-paced course room gives candidates access to the actual pre-examination papers from 2015 to 2017.

This course keeps you up to date with some of the most recent changes in patent law.

This course is intended for those interested in judicial matters, such as the concept of "prior user", the principle applied to interpreting the scope of patent claims in an invention, the enforcement directive on IP rights and developments with regard to the unitary patent.