On 4 September, the European Patent Office (EPO) and Slovenian Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) concluded a working agreement on search co-operation. EPO President António Campinos was welcomed to Slovenia by Mr Matjaž Han, Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, and by SIPO Director Ms Karin Žvokelj. In Otočec, Ms Žvokelj and President Campinos signed the agreement, which aims to help the national office provide its users with high-quality search products in a timely manner. Slovenia becomes the 17th contracting state with which the EPO currently has a working agreement on search co-operation in place.
President Campinos’s exchanges with Minister Matjaž Han continued their discussions of December last year, when Slovenia celebrated its 20th anniversary of joining the EPC and started promoting the Unitary Patent system. Yesterday, they explored the benefits of the working agreement for Slovenian applicants, which becomes effective on 1 January 2024. Mr Campinos commented: Read more