On 21.02.24, a meeting of the members of the IP Commercialization Committee (IPCC), a body of the European Patent Institute (epi), was held in Munich. The committee consists of ten members, experts in the field. The committee was chaired by Hans Blöche, and Prof. Dr. Gjorgi Filipov. After the introductory points and the election of the Secretary of the Committee (Anders Isaksson), work was started on points related to some proposals of the European Commission, located in the so-called EU patent package, which provides for some patent functions in the European intellectual property office (EUIPO), which is a bit of a surprise and which the IPCC views with reservations. Questions from EPO practices were also discussed regarding assignment as one of the ways to commercialize IP, regarding the possible new directive on compulsory licenses in the field of pharmaceutical patents, as well as the advisory support provided by epi members to micro- companies (companies with annual income <2 million euros). The EU directive on corporate sustainability was also discussed, as well as the participation of IPCC members in the training of European representatives in the area of commercialization of patents. In his presentations, Filipov spoke about the methods of monetization and commercialization, about the evaluation of patent applications and about the necessity of respecting the provisions of the Paris Convention when granting licenses, assignments and in general during the transfer of technology, taking into account the readiness of the licensee to retain the quality of the product or service offered by the IP right holder. The president of epi, Peter Thomsen, also participated online in the work of the Committee.

The session of the European Patent Practice Committee (EPPC) lasted for three days (27-29.24) and contained three sessions: 1. Preparatory session, in which the members of the EPPC discussed in detail the points of the agenda for the meeting with the vice-president of the European Patent office, Steve Rowan and members of his delegation (seven other directors); 2. Plenary session with Steve Rowan and the delegation (about 130 participants, hybrid, onsite and online), holding two break-out sessions with members of the working groups for mechanics and ICT and for the biopharmacy and chemistry group; and 3. Break-out meeting announcements and conclusions for each item on the agenda. From the ERRS it was chaired by Christopher Mercer, and from the EPO, Steve Rowan, and then Razik Menindjel. In his welcoming speech, Rowan referred to the priorities of the EPZ for 2024, the nationalities of the patent examiners, the work of the Permanent Advisory Committee of the EPO (SACERO), the quality, the cooperation with SOIS and PCT, the total number of applications, the searches made and examinations, as well as for the number of granted patents, the need for amendments to the regulations for the description of inventions, for the examination department and the involvement of examiners, as well as for small and medium-sized enterprises and the benefits when filing patent applications. On behalf of the other members of the EPZ delegation, Emma Donaban spoke about the Quality Action Plan in 2024, Niclas Moray about complaints in 2023, about time positions during search, examination and opposition, Anne Redijk about the office of the ombudsman, as well as about additional searches , the correct citations of relevant texts and the non-examination of certain dependent patent claims, Heli Pillayama for speeding up opposition proceedings in a case of a Union patent in parallel court proceedings. During the breakout session on Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals, which was chaired by Martin Wilming, there was talk about the cooperation of the US Patent and Trademark Office with the Food and Drug Administration, clinical trials of patents, medical and non-medical applications of products. , as well as the patenting of new types of plants, while the break-out session for Chemistry, Mechanics and ICT discussed the parameters and methods of measurement, the big gap in the protection of inventions in the field of artificial intelligence and the problems and solutions in patent cases in information and communication technology.

In the work of the plenary session and the breakout session for biotechnology and pharmaceutical chemistry, Dr. Filipov actively participated, as the representative of MK in EPPS, who in several discussions: a) emphasized that he is still looking for a definition or a shorter publication of what is meant by the quality of work of a patent office (in this case, the European Patent Office) and gave a proposal on how to find a solution to that dilemma, b) asked for a wider elaboration on the cooperation of the European Patent Office within the framework of the big five offices in the world (USPTO, CIPPA, JPO, KIPO & EPO), c) asked to overcome the problems with the writing of sequence lists in pharmaceutical inventions and proposed measures to be done in the transitional period of adaptation to the new standard and d) the emphasized the issue of the use of the EPO Smart Card for identification and the possibility of two-factor authentication through the EPO mailbox, not forgetting the insistence of the Unified Patent Court.

The validation agreement between the European Patent Organisation and Georgia enters into force today. As a result, inventors and businesses are now able to validate their European patent applications and patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) in Georgia on the basis of the country’s national law. 

Those European patent applications and patents validated in Georgia under the agreement will have the same effect and be subject to the same conditions as Georgia’s national patents. The accompanying technical co-operation between the EPO and the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia, SAKPATENTI, will bolster the development of Georgia’s national patent system and further foster innovation. The validation of European patents is also an important element for helping to attract foreign investment in Georgia.
The agreement was originally signed on 31 October 2019 and is the fifth of its kind to enter into force following those concluded between the European Patent Organisation and Morocco, the Republic of Moldova, Tunisia and Cambodia. With the current agreement’s entry into force and the extension agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the number of countries for which patent protection can be obtained on the basis of a single European patent application rises to 45.

External links:
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On December 7, in Skopje, a ceremony was held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the State Industrial Property Office, which began work on December 1, 1993. We at the Berin Agency are honored that its first director was Gjorgi Filipov (1993-99), founder of Berin, previously director of various positions at Rade Koncar AD, engineer, president of the Union of Inventors of Macedonia (SPATUM), professor at UKIM, regular member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Macedonian and European patent attorney, author of many professional and scientific articles and a dozen books, member of the European Patent Institute (EPI), INTA, ECTA, MARQUES, FICPI and other associations in the field of intellectual property and diplomacy, i.e. international politics, winner of many domestic and international awards . We thank the organizer SOIP for inviting Dr. Filipov to address the audience, whose first speaker was the president of MK, Dr. Stevo Pendarovski, and the current director of DZIS, Blerim Idrizi, representative of the World IP Organization, also addressed , Hanib Assan from Geneva, of the European Patent Office, Christoph Ernst from Munich, of the European IP Office, Ybon Ormazabal from Alicante. The ceremony was attended by about 200 guests, among them representatives from the institutes of neighboring countries, patent attorneys, former and current employees, authors and inventors, while representatives of the media were not notiert. To all current and former employees of SOIP, to all representatives and officials responsible for the establishment of the institution, but most of all to all creators and inventors and companies that protect their property, we congratulate them on the anniversary of the beginning of independent care for intellectual property in Macedonia!

The State Industrial Property Office of North Macedonia in cooperation with the European Patent Organization EPO recently developed an e-platform for digitalization of services. The Front Office platform was launched on 02.10.2023, enclosing modules for submitting national and international patent applications, as well as applications for the extension of European patents and certificates for additional protection of medical products.

Our colleague Ivona Sekulovska, IP Attorney, was attending the 41st annual ECTA Conference this year in the famous city of Prague, whose architectural marvels and cultural charm, served as the perfect backdrop for the conference.
All the appreciation goes to the entire organizing committee for their hard work in putting together such a successful event. 
More than 800 intellectual property law community attendees had the pleasure of listening and discussing different IP topics with esteemed speakers and presenters from worldwide, whose insights and research added immense value to the conference.
We will highlight a few of the many contemporary topics, such as topics for Design Reform, the Unitary Patent System, Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPC), Works of Applied Arts, and many others.
BERIN LTD was the only company that had its representative at the conference from Macedonia, and Ivona is ready to share her experience with anyone who wants to know more about the event or intellectual property in general.
To feel part of the atmosphere, enjoy the following pictures, as an illustration of the whole event.
ECTA Conference 2023 was a resounding success and we can't wait for the next one.

On June 1, the new EU patent protection system came into force, allowing patent holders to obtain EU-wide protection with a single application.

The establishment of the model has been in the works for many years, but was only recently ratified by most of the countries that initially acceded.
At the beginning, the procedure for the single registration of the recognized European patents will apply to the 17 countries, out of a total of 25 that have signed the Single European Patent agreement, which have managed to ratify it in their parliaments. While the unified court, whose work began on June 1st, will have jurisdiction over all unitary and European patents in the territory of the entire European Union.

The European Patent Office (EPO) will manage the matters related to the single procedure for the registration of the unitary patent. The management of the procedure and the maintenance of these patents will take place through a single administration that will be taken care of by this institution.
It is expected that, with the ratification in the parliaments of the remaining signatories, this agreement will enter into force in all the countries that initially signed it.
Only Spain, among the active members of the European Union, refused to sign the agreement while Croatia was not part of the union when the signing process took place.
In addition to the economic benefits that the holders will have, the establishment of a single patent court that has the authority to decide on the territories of all member countries is particularly significant for the Union, which is a step towards the establishment of a single court system at the level of the European Union.
Our office is ready for representation in this new system and offers assistance in registering the new European Union Patent (Unitary Patent).
All the details about this significant change to the European patenting system can be found on the official website of the European Patent Office.

Only Spain, among the active members of the European Union, refused to sign the agreement, while Croatia was not yet a part of the Union during the signing process.

In addition to the economic benefits for the Union, the formation of the Unified Patent Court is particularly significant, as it will have jurisdiction over the territories of all member countries, representing a step towards the establishment of a unified judicial system at the level of the European Union.
Our office is prepared to represent clients in this new system and offers assistance with the registration of the new European Union Patent, also known as the Unitary Patent.

All details regarding this significant change in the European patent system can be found on the official website of the European Patent Office.
https://www.epo.org/applying/european/unitary.html