Section: Friday, 21 February 2025 | Search and Examination Matters 2025 | e-learning centre
Main course pageFriday, 21 February 2025
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Friday, 21 February 2025
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Quality in emerging technical fields
Quality in a few selected technical fields, bringing to a closing the study of the several quality issues addressed in the previous days. What are the challenges of these new emerging fields for the patent grant process and how are they met?
13.00-13.45 hrs AI as integral part of subject matter
AI as integral part of subject matter How the contribution is expressed in the description/claims. How the EPO deals with the challenges of AI in patent applications. Explore AI as an integral component of inventions across diverse technological fields. How does AI contribute to the core of patentable subject matter, emphasising its role in solving technical problems and enhancing innovative processes.
- Contribution Expression: Strategies for effectively articulating AI's contribution within patent claims and descriptions to meet the requirements of clarity, support, and technical character.
- Challenges in Patentability: An approach to addressing the unique challenges posed by AI-based inventions, including issues of inventiveness and sufficiency of disclosure.
Javier Pose Rodríguez, Examiner, EPO
Coreena Brinck, Patent Attorney, epi14.00-14.40 hrs Graphic user interfaces (GUI) and inventive step
Take a closer look at the inventive step in patent applications related to GUIs. Experts will discuss the specific challenges of assessing innovation in interface design, which often involves user experience improvements rather than technical breakthroughs. Explore how the EPO determines whether a GUI contributes to a technical solution or simply reflects aesthetic choices. Attendees will gain insights into how inventive step is analysed in this field, including the role of the problem-solution approach and the standards for GUI-related patents.
Cristina Russo dos Santos, Team Manager, EPO
Barry Moore, Patent Attorney, epi14.40-15.25 hrs Problem and Solution in ICT cases
Explore how the EPO applies the problem-solution method to inventions in information and communication technology (ICT). Experts will discuss the unique challenges posed by the fast-paced and complex nature of ICT innovations, where the line between technical and non-technical aspects can blur. The session will touch on how the EPO identifies the objective technical problem, assesses inventive step, and navigates the overlap between software, hardware, and business methods. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how the problem-solution approach ensures consistency and fairness in granting ICT patents.
Hervé Chabus, Senior Expert, EPO
Karen Fraser, Patent Attorney, epi15.25-15.30 hrs Closing
Jakob Kofoed, Principal Advisor, EPO
- Contribution Expression: Strategies for effectively articulating AI's contribution within patent claims and descriptions to meet the requirements of clarity, support, and technical character.
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