Cours : Patentability in information and communications technology | e-learning centre

  • 1
    • On 12 April 2021 the EPO hosted a virtual conference entitled “Artificial intelligence: a patent practitioner’s perspective”, an event designed to give an opportunity to experienced users to exchange ideas on AI examples from various technical fields. In addition, the conference dealt with the legal aspects of patenting AI, with emphasis on AI in the Guidelines for Examination at the EPO.
      Here you find the complete recording of the plenary sessions and the presentations shown.


    • Heli Pihlajamaa, Director of Patent Law at the European Patent Office, has spoken in a live session on the grounds for the EPO’s decision to refuse two applications designating an AI system as the inventor. Upon questions from the participants, the implications of the developments of AI technologies on patenting were discussed.

    • The conference was the first event held by a major patent office designed to open a discussion on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the patent system. It provided a unique opportunity for open exchanges of views and for raising awareness of Issues relating to strategies for protecting AI innovations, the challenges in drafting and prosecuting patent applications for AI inventions and possible future considerations for patent laws.

  • 2

    • Behind every video game, there is an intricate bundle of technical and non-technical IP rights. Against the background of a rapidly evolving design, development and commercialisation landscape, identifying what to protect and how to protect it can be something of a challenge.

      The lecture features Stephan Hanne from the EUIPO's International Cooperation and Legal Affairs Department and Peter Verhoef from the European Patent Office. It is moderated by Alejandro Flores-Jiménez from the European Patent Academy of the EPO and Claire Duranton from the EUIPO Academy.


    • The speed of digital change has brought about a rise in innovative solutions for human-machine interfaces (HMI) and the need to protect them through IP rights. Depending on the nature of the solution, either a patent or a design might be better suited to grant IP protection. In this lecture, EPO and EUIPO experts discuss on whether patents, designs or both may assist you in protecting your innovation. The examples shown by the EPO expert are based on the following decisions: T 1567/05, T 125/04 and T 95/11.


    • 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. The conference provided a unique opportunity for open exchanges of views and for raising awareness on the technology itself and its many possible fields of application, on how patent offices such as the EPO and CNIPA (China) search and examine the patent applications, the role of open source and possible future considerations for litigation.

  • 3

    • This module examines the patentability requirements, legal basis and other criteria in the field of information technology. In particular, it focuses on patentable and non-patentable subject-matter and on the examination of computer-implemented with respect to the requirements of Art. 52 EPC (exclusion, industrial application, novelty and inventive step). Examples and case law are also provided.


    • Watch the recorded lecture on computer-implemented inventions, held by Michaël De Smet, team manager, Information and Communication Technology at the EPO The Hague and Igor Dydenko, team manager, Electronics and Mechanics at the EPO Berlin.

    • Watch the recorded lecture on assessing the patentability of computer-implemented inventions and specific cases, held by Yasemin Türkeli, examiner in the fields of bioinformatics and administrative, financial and commercial data processing at the EPO.

  • 4

    The problem-solution approach (PSA) was developed to assess the inventiveness requirement of a European patent application. If you want to refresh your knowledge about the PSA, click on the image below:

  • 5
    •  

      Watch the recorded lecture on computer-implemented inventions in biotechnology and healthcare, held by Matthias Hilbig, team manager in the field of Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics at the EPO.

    • Watch the recorded lecture on how the EPO examines applications for mixed-type inventions, i.e. those with claims comprising both technical and non-technical features, held by Susanna Lüdemann, examiner at the EPO. The lecture looks specifically at features relating to the presentation of information, which the EPO analyses to determine whether they contribute to a technical effect serving a technical purpose.