Observatory on Patents and Technology launched by EPO

On the 5^th of October, the European Patent Office (EPO) celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the signature of the European Patent Convention. Signed on 5 October 1973, the Convention laid the foundation for the European patent system. Since then, the EPO has granted over two million patents and currently handles more than 190,000 international patent applications on an annual basis.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) assists applicants in seeking patent protection internationally for their inventions, helps patent offices with their patent-granting decisions, and facilitates public access to a wealth of technical information relating to those inventions. By filing one international patent application under the PCT, applicants can simultaneously seek protection for an invention in a large number of countries.

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the EPO launched the Observatory on Patents and Technology. This initiative will gather both public and private stakeholders interested in emerging technologies and matters related to intellectual property.