Düsseldorf, December 14, 2023 – For 50 years, the European Patent Convention (EPC) has been strengthening cooperation in the field of patents and ensuring a spirit of innovation and competitiveness throughout Europe (see C&F press release of December 4, 2023). The agreement signed on October 5, 1973, created the European Patent Organisation and its executive body, the European Patent Office (EPO). The EPC turning 50 also marks a milestone for the EPO itself: “In this legal testament lies a powerful expression of the combined aspirations of a continent desiring peace and prosperity, and united by a common vision for innovation in Europe,” said EPO President António Campinos commemorating the anniversary.
The importance of innovation for the economy and society is particularly evident in times of profound crisis: it is often groundbreaking technologies that play a central role in dealing with natural disasters or the consequences of climate change, for example. “The European patent system in the form laid down in the EPC guarantees the protection of these important technologies. It motivates us as a society to develop sustainable solutions and to live up to our responsibility towards future generations,” says Gottfried Schüll, patent attorney and partner at Cohausz & Florack.
