DYNAMIC PROGRESS AND CONSTRUCTIVE REFORM IN SERVICE OF THE PROFESSION

EPI continues advancing its mission with impactful Council decisions and disciplinary reforms, fostering professional excellence and ethical responsibility.

The European Patent Institute (epi) demonstrated remarkable momentum in shaping the future of the profession at two recent landmark gatherings: The 99th epi Council Meeting held on 10 May 2025 in Vilnius, and the Disciplinary Committee (DC) Meeting convened in Milan on 3–4 June 2025. These meetings underlined the Institute’s enduring commitment to quality, accountability, and inclusion within the European patent profession.
Berin’s managing partner and EP Attorney Mr. Vancho Damjanski participated in both events—serving as a full member of the epi Council in Vilnius and attending the Milan DC meeting—actively contributing to deliberations on legal reform, professional conduct, and disciplinary procedures.
Prior to the Council meeting in Vilnius, members benefited from the Pre-Council Seminar “From Lab to Market and Beyond – Turning Research into Revenue”, underlining the Institute’s dedication to continuous learning and innovation translation.
At the 99th epi Council Meeting in Vilnius on 10 May 2025, the Council adopted a resolution urging the EPO and the Administrative Council to suspend the inclusion of legal practitioners on the representative list, pending further analysis. It also established a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and approved amendments to the epi Code of Conduct. Additional decisions included the adoption of a position paper on divisional applications and a request for the EPO to continue publishing all relevant Guidelines in both PDF and HTML formats.
This Year DC Meeting in Milan complemented these policy advances by focusing on improving internal procedures and fostering open discussion among its members. The agenda included two high-quality presentations—“Ways to Find the Truth” and “Certain Rules on Natural Justice”—which sparked reflective dialogue on fairness and transparency in disciplinary matters.
These developments reflect epi’s dynamic strategy in responding to evolving challenges—strengthening its structures, enhancing member development, and defending the standards of the profession.

The European Patent Office (EPO) has just released its Patent Index 2024, confirming that innovation across Europe and beyond remains vibrant and future-focused. Patent applications remained stable overall (-0.1% vs 2023), with filings from EPO member states even increasing by 0.3%. This resilience came despite geopolitical and economic uncertainties, highlighting strong R&D commitment across sectors.
- Computer technology led all technical fields for the first time, driven by advancements in AI and machine learning. Meanwhile, electrical machinery and clean energy tech surged ahead with an 8.9% growth—battery innovation alone soared by 24%!
- The US remained the top filing country, but notable growth came from R. Korea (+4.2%) and Switzerland (+3.2%). European SMEs and universities also boosted their role in innovation, filing nearly a third of all applications.
- Inclusivity is growing too: 1 in 4 European patent applications included a woman inventor.
- The Unitary Patent system continued its strong uptake, with a 53% increase in requests, simplifying protection across 18 EU countries. Over half of European SMEs and universities that received a patent opted in.
The data sends a clear message: Europe is staying competitive, and the EPO remains a central driver of innovation in crucial tech domains like AI, green energy, and semiconductors.
The presentation of the Patent Index 2024 can be find at the following link.

During the weekend 09.11.2024, in the sports hall of DSU "Kole Nedelkovski" in Veles, the 45th edition of MAKINOVA and the 22nd edition of ECONOVA were held - the most significant events for innovation and eco-projects in Macedonia organized by SPATUM and Narodna tekhnika. This year, 96 participants took part, including 79 students from the country and 17 representatives from the region, ie from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Bulgaria.
The patron of the event was the President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, who addressed her via video beam. The exhibitions were also visited by the Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, the Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Transport and Communications Aleksandar Nikoloski, the Minister of Education, Vesna Janevska and the Mayor Marko Kolev.

Berin, once again, supported the event. Jury committee member Goran Ilic awarded the awards from Berin for "Robot Arm" to Simona Atanaskova from Veles and "Rover for Research of Radioactive and Inaccessible Environments" to Bodan Nikolov from Skopje.

We are especially inspired by the young inventors who have shown exceptional creativity and innovative spirit this year. We hope that our support and awards will serve as an incentive and motivation for them to develop and implement their ideas in the future.

From October 8 to 10, 2024, the Life Sciences Strategy Summit on IP & Exclusivity was held in Munich, Germany. The event gathered 285 participants and over 60 expert speakers, proving to be key in the field of Biotech, life sciences and intellectual property protection. With essential discussions on acctual topics, inclusive of comparative insights into the experiences of the US and other territories, the summit highlighted key trends in shaping the future of IP protection strategies.

Among the participants was Berin's representative, manager Vancho Damjanski, who as a European Patent Attorney was part of exceptional opportunities for active discussions, networking and expanding cooperation with this sector.

The summit, with the presence of relevant participants in the capacity of lecturers and participants, confirmed its importance on the global map of events in the biotech sphere and IP protection, providing a platform for industry leaders to share insights on global challenges such as manufacturing exclusivity and improvement of development and protection systems.

Prof. Dr. Gjorgi Filipov spoke at the workshop under the title: "Export management: mandatory rules and legal aspects during export", on the topic: Familiarity with intellectual property", as one of the necessary elements that should be taken care of in the creation of strategies and operationalization of the export of a company at domestic and international level. In addition to the basic characteristics of intellectual property, its types, definitions, common elements, but also differences in the approach and even in enabling protection at the state, territorial, European or world level, Prof. Filipov also spoke about the basics of Brand Management, Brand Leadership, Patent Management, and the matrices of the brand or patent portfolio, similar to the Boston Consulting Group's basic matrix, which covers the market attractiveness and market share of products protected as a trademark, industrial design or patent. At the same time, Prof. Filipov also presented the BERIN MFS Portfolio, software developed on the basis of the mathematical model created by him and other experts in Berin, whose matrix observes and enables drawing conclusions about market behavior based on the attractiveness of the technological area and the relative position of industrial ownership in where are the products that claim to be exported to a certain area.

The representative of "Berin" - Ivona Sekulovska, MA (trademark attorney) attended the Annual Conference of the International Trademark Association (INTA) 2024 in Atlanta, USA. Joining over 9,000 participants from all over the world, the Berin Agency representative had the privilege to engage in meaningful discussions and take advantage of the company's networking opportunity within the global framework of the IP structure. The event began with an inspiring opening ceremony with keynote speaker Dr. Bernice A. King, an esteemed American lawyer, minister and youngest child of the civil rights activist, icon, Dr. Martin Luther King. The closing ceremony at the impressive Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the American football team Atlanta Falcons, was an unforgettable moment. Participants enjoyed a unique blend of business meetings and talks and sports activities organized by INTA, fostering connections and camaraderie among fellow brand advocates. We look forward to applying the knowledge, contacts and connections gained from this extraordinary experience to better serve our business partners in the intellectual property and trademark fields. #BerinIPAgency at #INTA2024