EPO meets with Siemens

On 20 November, the European Patent Office (EPO) held a meeting with Siemens, one of its largest applicants. The company’s delegation, which was led by Head of Siemens Intellectual Property Beat Weibel, underscored their appreciation of the opportunity to engage directly with the EPO. The meeting, chaired by EPO Vice-President Steve Rowan, was held in a constructive atmosphere and fostered open exchanges.

Meeting highlights

Siemens emphasised their reliance on the EPO for valid and enforceable patents, which are vital to the company’s innovative activities. The EPO explained that its Quality Action Plan 2024 is based on user input gained through initiatives such as its Stakeholder Quality Assurance Panels (SQAPs) and active search divisions. Siemens commended the SQAPs as a success story and shared suggestions for effective implementation of the outcomes as well as further improvement.

The meeting also covered various operational topics, including the importance of comprehensive and thorough searches, particularly for patent applications related to computer-implemented inventions and artificial intelligence, both areas of critical importance to Siemens. It was agreed to explore these topics further in a separate technical meeting. The parties also agreed to organise a follow-up exchange with experts on MyEPO.

Concluding the discussion, Beat Weibel reaffirmed Siemens’ commitment to deepening dialogue with the EPO in upcoming meetings.

About Siemens

Siemens is a major contributor to innovation and a key applicant at the EPO. Last year, the company filed 1 889 European patent applications, ranking sixth among the EPO’s top applicants. Siemens is also the top proprietor of Unitary Patents, having recorded 732 registrations to date.

Globally, Siemens employs 320 000 people, including 50 000 in research and development (R&D). In 2023, the company generated €77.8 billion in revenue and invested €6.2 billion in R&D, achieving 5 400 inventions and resulting in 2 900 patent applications.