On October 2, 2019, President of the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO) Saule Tlevlessova and President of the European Patent Office (EPO) António Campinos held a meeting in Geneva on the margins of the WIPO General Assembly.

At the meeting the parties expressed appreciation for the level of bilateral cooperation and briefly discussed its main areas.

EPO delegation marked the significance of the partnership with EAPO and spoke about the new goals set by the European Patent Office within the framework of the EPO Strategic Plan 2023.

Saule Tlevlessova noted the importance of continuing the programs on knowledge exchange on the current practice of patent search and examination and on improvement of the relevant procedures taking into account the regional status of the two Offices. EAPO President also spoke about the plans for expansion of the EAPO activities, including legal protection of industrial designs and capacities within the framework of the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

The Offices’ strategies and new challenges on the use of modern information technologies and means of artificial intelligence were discussed at the meeting.

The parties reviewed the results of implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding Relating to the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), signed in October 2016, and emphasized that CPC is now an important professional tool in ensuring the quality and efficiency of patent searches. The Presidents signed an Addendum to the Memorandum, thus extending its effect and expanding the EAPO functions from January 1, 2022 in terms of reclassification of EAPO patent documents following CPC revisions.