Düsseldorf, December 20, 2023 – For 50 years, the European patent system has stood on a solid foundation: the European Patent Convention (EPC) was signed on October 5, 1973. With this, the signatory states pledged to comply with certain rules for the granting of patents and to harmonize patent law (see C&F press releases of December 4, 2023 and December 14, 2023). The EPC led to the establishment of the European Patent Organisation and its executive body, the European Patent Office (EPO), and to the creation of the European patent.
Thanks to this development, researchers across Europe are still able to pursue their ideas and bring them to the market today. Many of these make an important contribution to our society. One prominent example is Katalin Karikó. The Hungarian biochemist won the EPO’s European Inventor Award 2022 in the “Lifetime Achievement” category and received the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine together with American Drew Weissman for their research into mRNA vaccines to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Such groundbreaking developments show just how strong the spirit of innovation is in Europe. The European Patent Convention has created the ideal conditions for this for the past 50 years,” says Dr. Soizic Grote, patent attorney at Cohausz & Florack.
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