October 2004
ISC
EPO continues to foster European innovationepoline® Annual Conference in Salzburg to examine role for patents in the knowledge economyMunich/The Hague - The European Patent Office's epoline® Annual Conference will take place in Salzburg, Austria, on 23-24 November 2004. This year's conference will highlight patents in the context of European innovation policy supporting the Lisbon process to make Europe the most competitive economy in the world by 2010. Intellectual property related to most aspects of information technology will be addressed within the Conference theme "IT meets IP – supporting innovation".
A well-developed patent culture is a key element in the knowledge society with a view to sustaining innovation and promoting economic growth. epoline®, the EPO's electronic business interface, facilitates access to the European patent granting procedure as well as the dissemination of technical knowledge divulged in patents across Europe and beyond.
The service also plays an increasing communication role in innovation networks where scientists meet business, creating a climate conducive to enhanced investment, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Through epoline® the European Patent Office has taken the lead in the development of interactive services and set a world standard in the field of intellectual property.
The newly elected President of the EPO, Mr. Alain Pompidou, and the President of the Austrian Patent Office, Mr. Hermann Weber, will open the conference. Delegates will be able to choose from workshops, seminars, and presentations dealing with a wide spectrum of issues ranging from innovation in information technology to practical electronic tools increasing the efficiency and transparency of the European patent granting procedure.
Media Contact:
Marta Czerniawska
ISC
Park Leopold
Rue Wiertz, 50/28
B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel.: 32-0-2-401-61-47
Fax: 32-0-2-401-68-68
Email: [email protected]
http://www.isc-europe.com
For further information about the third epoline® Annual Conference, please contact:
Marion Lemercier
European Patent Office
2280 HV Rijswijk (ZH)
The Netherlands
Tel.: 31-70-340-3588
Fax: 31-70-340-4237
Email: [email protected]
http://www.epoline.org
Editor's note:
EPO: The European Patent Office grants European patents for the contracting states to the European Patent Convention (EPC), which was signed in Munich on 5 October 1973 and entered into force on 7 October 1977. It is the executive body of the European Patent Organisation, an intergovernmental body set up under the EPC, whose members are the EPC contracting states. The activities of the EPO are supervised by the Organisation's Administrative Council, composed of delegates from these states. See http://www.european-patent-office.org.
epoline®: is the brand name given to a number of electronic products and services developed by the EPO for the users of the European patent system. These products and services provide a secure, integrated environment for electronic communication between the EPO, applicants, their representatives and the national patent offices of the contracting states. Most significantly, epoline® services provide for on-line filing, fee payment and management of deposit accounts, file inspection, and register enquiries. They offer major advantages over traditional, paper-based transactions in that they provide instant feedback in the form of status information and immediate confirmation of communications to the Office while reducing clerical work and paper handling costs. Online file inspection and the European register of patents are important tools for the interested public and have been designed to increase the visibility of the patenting process in general and the transparency of the European patent grant procedure. See http://www.epoline.org.
esp@cenet®: is the European Patent Organisation's worldwide free patent information service on the Internet. It provides users with a readily accessible source of published patent information. It also aims to improve patent awareness among the public at all levels, in particular also among small and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, as well as offering documents published by the EPO, this service gives access to patent documents published by patent offices around the world. Specifically, esp@cenet® offers access to large parts of the documentation available to EPO examiners, including recent patent applications published by the member states, European patent applications and PCT pamphlets published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation. See http://www.european-patent-office.org/espacenet/info/index.htm.
EPO Member States: The following states are currently members of the European Patent Organisation: Austria; Belgium; Republic of Bulgaria; Switzerland; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Germany; Denmark; Republic of Estonia; Spain; Finland; France; United Kingdom; Hellenic Republic; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Monaco; Netherlands; Poland; Portugal; Republic of Romania; Sweden; Slovenia; Slovak Republic and Turkey.
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