EPO Month Student Reporter Summaries

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) was established to enhance legal certainty and harmonization of patent law across the EU member states. Read more

The Boards of Appeal are the EPO’s independent judicial body and act as the first and final judicial instance in EPO proceedings. They review decisions made by the Receiving Section, Legal Division, Examining Division, and Opposition Division within the framework of the EPC. Read more

This EPO session landed on a simple truth with real drafting consequences: you don’t win European protection for software and AI by proving the math is elegant, you win by proving that the part you’re proudest of produces a technical effect that solves a technical problem. That through-line, familiar to veterans of the COMVIK approach, wasn’t presented as abstract doctrine but as a practical, repeatable recipe for getting AI and software claims across the line at the EPO. Read more

Gerry Van Dooren's core message was both straightforward and stringent: success or failure of an application at the EPO hinges upon clarity, technical effect, and adherence to added-matter principles. He elucidated the foundational rules governing examination, highlighted points of divergence between U.S. and EP practices, and concluded by providing practical checklists for immediate application by drafters. Read more