Today, the European Publication Server reached a new milestone as the EPO published EP 4 000 000. The application from L'Oréal, one of the top ten French applicants in the 2021 Patent Index, concerns an image recognition method in which artificial intelligence (AI) is trained to recognise skin tone, helping customers match their skin tone to cosmetic products. 

EP 4 000 000 is just one of a growing number of applications involving fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies, a trend observed in several EPO Chief Economist Unit studies. Over the past decade, 4IR innovation such as AI has also spread into domains that are not traditionally regarded as digital, for example, the cosmetics sector. 

Reflect on the past, focus on the future

Based on an Administrative Council decision, the EPO discontinued the paper publication of European patent documents in 2005 and began publishing only online in its official platform, the European Publication Server. Each Wednesday at 14.00 hrs, European documents are published and then cascaded through the EPO's patent knowledge services, either as bulk data, or in online search services such as the European Patent Register, the EP Bulletin search or EP full-text search. Additionally, the EPO publishes worldwide patent data through its online services including Global Index, PATSTAT and Espacenet. Currently, Espacenet holds over 130 million published patent documents and tracks the history of inventions and technical developments since 1782.

The EPO is finalising the implementation of its Strategic Plan (SP2023) in which patent information and patent knowledge feature prominently. Through several projects and co-operation activities, the EPO is enhancing access to patent information and ensuring that its technical records are complete, accurate and effectively managed. This includes the development of new tools and training services to help users understand and exploit patent information.

(25 May 2022 From EPO Website)

Nationals and residents of the People's Republic of China can continue to select the European Patent Office as their International Searching Authority (ISA) for their international patent applications filed in English under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Following the agreement between the EPO and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the pilot will be extended by one additional year until 30 November 2023 and up to a further 3000 applications.

This decision is based on the positive evaluation of the pilot which has been running since 1 December 2020. Interest in this pilot has been remarkable with active participation from over 270 applicants - including universities, research institutes and private individuals. In particular, both local and international companies based in China showed a strong interest in obtaining timely patent protection in Europe. By having their international searches carried out by the EPO, pilot participants benefit from both more legal certainty prior to entering the European phase and faster prosecution of their Euro‑PCT applications.

The pilot also enables PCT applicants who are nationals or residents of the People's Republic of China and whose international search was performed by the EPO as ISA to file a request for international preliminary examination with the EPO.

CNIPA Commissioner Dr Shen Changyu commented: "The pilot has been widely participated since its launch and provides  convenience for applicants in acquiring IP protection in Europe. The extension of the pilot is one of the important fruits of the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the CNIPA and the EPO. We look forward to the continuous improvement of the pilot in the future, and better serving the IP application and protection for users. "

EPO President António Campinos greeted this development, stating, "This pilot is another tangible result of our strategic cooperation with CNIPA and it gives a useful alternative to all PCT applicants in China who are interested in the European market. We welcome the extension of this pilot as it will create more time and opportunities for users to evaluate the expected benefits in the examination phase before the EPO."

(16 September 2022 From EPO Website)

2022年7月20日，美国专利商标局（USPTO）和世界知识产权组织（WIPO）达成了一致意见，将共同努力以促进与标准必要专利（SEP）相关的争议的解决。

SEP是已宣告的对给定的技术标准必不可少的专利。作为标准制定过程的一部分，专利所有人可能同意以公平、合理和非歧视性（FRAND）条款许可SEP。标准通常涉及现代生活的各个方面，包括视频压缩、无线通信技术、计算机连接标准、汽车技术等。

美国商务部负责知识产权事务的副部长兼USPTO局长凯瑟琳．维达尔（Kathi Vidal）称：“国际标准以及对其至关重要的专利在增强国家实力和促进全球经济发展方面发挥着重要作用。我们非常感谢WIPO总干事能够认可我局在推动SEP政策讨论方面所作出的努力。USPTO与WIPO的合作也突出强调了我局秉持的观点，即SEP政策的制定是一个具有国际重要性的问题。USPTO和WIPO达成的协议将利用双方的现有资源，支持那些能够提高SEP许可效率的举措，并协助解决与这些标准相关的争议。”

近日，在参加于瑞士日内瓦举行的WIPO成员国大会期间，维达尔与WIPO总干事邓鸿森（Daren Tang）举行了一次会谈，并签署了一份谅解备忘录。

根据备忘录条款，USPTO和WIPO将在以下方面进行合作：

－通过利用现有的WIPO仲裁和调解中心和USPTO的各种资源，就能够提高有争议的SEP问题解决的效率和效力的活动进行合作；

－参与利益相关方的外展活动，通过USPTO-WIPO联合项目增进各方对WIPO仲裁和调解中心提供的服务的了解。

该协议自签署之日起将5年有效。

维达尔表示：“我们要对总干事和WIPO在这一重要领域所做的所有工作致以谢意。我们希望能够成功地实现合作，也期待着利益相关者的参与，以确保我们可以制定出争议的解决方案，这将会促进包括中小企业在内的所有创新者的参与及其对标准的执行。”

邓鸿森指出：“替代性争议解决机制（ADR）一次又一次地证明了其在高效、及时解决商业纠纷方面的价值。在过去几年中，WIPO仲裁和调解中心一直致力于促进SEP相关争议的解决，与USPTO的新合作是令人振奋的新进展，这将有助于提高标准实施的效率。”

（来源：中国保护知识产权网）