EAPO held spring training session for experts from EAPC national offices from May 20 to 24, 2019.

The subject of the training “Search and Examination in the Area of Mechanics, Physics and Electrical Engineering” was targeted at experts of national IP offices processing corresponding applications. The event was attended by representatives of all the EAPC member states, as well as EAPO experts.

The program included detailed review of all workflow stages of the Eurasian application starting from the receipt of the application to the Eurasian Office till the decision to grant the Eurasian patent, including opposition on examination decision, extension of patent validity, as well as restriction of the Eurasian patent. Special attention was paid to specific aspects of examination of applications related to computer-implemented or software-related inventions, applications related to computer science and information technologies.

Lectures and practical examples presented by EAPO specialists allowed the audience to learn the methodology for determining the patentability of inventions, conducting substantive examination in the field of mechanics, physics and electrical engineering.

Representatives of the European Patent Office (EPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) lectured in the training.

In his presentations Ciro Pernice, EPO Examiner-Documentarist of the Handling and Processing Directorate, focused on EPO approaches to the use of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) in patent search in Espacenet, as well as examination in the area of mechanics, physics and electrical engineering.

WIPO representatives, William Meredith, Director of IP Office Business Solutions Division, and Adel Baccouche, Project Manager of the same Division made presentations on WIPO digital platforms and the results of WIPO technical cooperation with regional and national IP offices on automation of administrative workflow, development of IT infrastructure of IP Offices and creation of electronic services for users of patent services.

The training concluded with the traditional summing up and granting the certificates.