http://www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2018/20180525.html
Content reproduced from the Website of the European Patent Office as permitted by their terms of use.
25 May 2018
Today the European Union GDPR enters into force with the
aim of ensuring a high level of data protection.
The EPO has always been committed to ensuring the highest
level of data protection and as far as back as 1992 put in place its own data
protection rules and structure including the nomination of an independent Data
Protection Officer (DPO).
As an international organisation established by its own
international treaty signed by 38 member states with its organisational
autonomy, the EPO fulfils its mission of providing high quality and efficient
services under the European Patent Convention. The European Patent Convention
is independent from the regulatory framework of the EU and hence the GDPR is
not directly binding to the EPO.
The EPO is entitled to receive data for its mission and
will continue to act under its own data protection rules, which enshrine the
important principles of data protection likewise the EU data protection rules
and other international data protection legal instruments.
The EPO has always strived to keep its data protection
framework in line with the current developments and best practices and a recent
audit report has confirmed a close alignment with the GDPR legal framework.
Applicants and other users of the patent system can therefore safely provide
their data to us. The EPO is also in regular contact with the EU Commission to
ensure that we can anticipate and respond appropriately to any further
evolution of these EU regulations.
With a diligent and up-to-date data protection policy and
high technical standards, the EPO is among those organisations carefully
safeguarding private information, to engender the trust of our users and fulfil
our mission to support innovators everywhere.
Further information