EPO Advisory Board Priorities: Fees, Thickets, Quality

The European Patent Office Economic and Scientific Advisory Board today announced its priorities for research, including patents fees, thickets and quality.

“The role and structure of fees, the importance of patent quality and challenges to the functioning of the patent system from overlapping sets of patent rights, so-called patent thickets: these are the issues to be addressed,” EPO said in a release, following the inaugural meeting of the board.

Professor Dietmar Harhoff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich was appointed chairman of the group, which is made up of globally oriented experts with an emphasis on Europe. The mission of the board is “to advise the EPO on the economic, practical and societal impact of the patent system,” EPO said, noting that the board is “independent in its choice of topics and approaches.” The group is supported by EPO Chief Economist Nikolaus Thumm.

“The analysis of topics chosen by the Board today will improve our understanding of how these issues impact on innovation,” EPO President Benoît Battistelli said in the release. “Innovation is crucial to addressing challenges such as climate change, health and food security.”

Board members will hold a series of workshops with stakeholders and users of the patent system, as well as with other expert organisations, and will commission new research where appropriate.