Patent office renews cooperation with engineers

The European Patent Office has renewed a cooperative agreement with the Standards Association of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Under the agreement, which is part of a collaboration begun in July 2009, the two organisations are planning to cooperate more on issues relating to standards and intellectual property. They are also planning to work together on developing educational materials on patents and standards.

“This closer co-operation between the EPO and the IEEE-SA will help to improve the interface between patents and standards,” said Raimund Lutz, the EPO’s vice-president for legal and international affairs. “This agreement not only underlines the already existing good co-operation between two key institutions, but also strengthens the EPO’s wider strategy in connection with standards.”