EPO and EUIPO renew their co-operation

13 June 2019

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union
Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) have signed a
new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), renewing their commitment to a
comprehensive co-operation framework to further improve services for companies,
researchers and inventors in Europe and worldwide.

“This agreement opens a new
chapter in a long tradition of co-operation between our two offices,” said EPO
President António Campinos. “It aims to enhance the effectiveness of the
European IP system, improve its accessibility for users and promote a
modern IP culture in Europe. As two organisations administering pan-European IP
rights, and with many of the same member states and users, we have much to gain
from exchanging knowledge and best practices.”

The new MoU, which was signed by the EPO President and the
EUIPO’s Executive Director, Christian Archambeau and follows an earlier one from
May 2011, provides an extensive and flexible framework to foster even closer
collaboration between the EPO and EUIPO. It aims to increase the consistency of
activities involving both offices and their users in existing networks, and
successfully support the transformations envisaged in the EPO and EUIPO strategic
plans, likely to be adopted in the coming months.

Under the MoU the two offices will
share information and align their European and international co-operation
projects, especially in light of the complementarity of their activities (EPO
responsible for patents, EUIPO for trade marks and designs); they will work to
provide joint high-quality IP training activities, and raise awareness of the
IP system, supporting business’ use of IP in the development of their innovation
strategies, and informing policymakers of the socio-economic impact of IP in
Europe.

The MoU will be accompanied by annual
work plans detailing the joint projects to be carried out over the year.

Further information