EPO bid to bridge legal systems and languages

at various patent offices worldwide and enable them to better serve global users, SIPO Commissioner Tian Lipu said in an earlier interview.

The CPC is already used by more than 45 patent offices around the globe — including South Korea, Russia and Brazil — to perform prior art searches during the patent evaluation process, according to EPO.

Battistelli said he is convinced that in a few years the CPC will be accepted as the world classification standard.

Another highlight of the collaboration between SIPO and EPO is patent translation using an automated machine service initially designed for European languages, he said.

The free translation began to be offered last year, making Chinese the first non-European language offered, even before Korean and Japanese, Battistelli said.

With “40,000 requests from both sides”, the Chinese-English translation ranks among the most popular services on EPO’s website.

Estimates say the number of Chinese patent documents will surpass 10 million this year, according to the AllChina Patent Attorneys Association.

The translation service

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quality of patents depends on the quality of research.” BENOIT BATTISTELLI PRESIDENT EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE

helps to expand access to the growing technology treasure, said the association’s website.

Battistelli said a good patent system relies on two pillars — a patent office that is able to grant quality, legally solid patents and a litigation system that provides cost and timeeffective solutions to disputes.

With EPO, the first pillar in Europe is “very good”, he said, “but the second pillar does not exist yet”.

Under the current European IP legal framework, patent holders have to go to each individual country to defend their rights.

In response, the European Union decided to establish a unified European patent court that is expected to open next year, he said.

The first unified European patent is expected to be issued either at the end of next year or in 2015, pending ratification of a multilateral agreement by member states.

Once that begins operation, it will help applicants reduce costs by some 70 percent, the EPO president said.

“This new type of patent will be extremely useful because we have only one procedure, one formality,” he said. “At EPO, we’re ready.”

Battistelli said cooperation between SIPO and his office has been “fruitful for both sides” since their first agreement was signed in 1985.

In many international forums, SIPO and EPO are “on the same side”, he noted.

After the two offices signed an accord on establishing a partnership in 2007, both organizations began a series of programs to help applicants in China and Europe have a better understanding of the respective patent systems.

As a growing number of Chinese companies are going overseas, it’s important for them to understand that EPO serves as a gateway to the European market, Battistelli said.

Making full use of EPO’s services, they will stand a better chance of success, he added. Contact the writer at wangxin@chinadaily.com.cn