​​EPO meets with thyssenkrupp and HONOR​

​​The EPO recently met with delegations from thyssenkrupp and from HONOR. Both companies are key applicants with a strong interest in the European market and their delegations welcomed the opportunity to exchange with the EPO. The meetings were held via videoconference and provided valuable insights, including to help identify areas where there is scope for improvement.  

​thyssenkrupp

​The thyssenkrupp delegation was led by Stephan Wolke, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Intellectual Property GmbH, who was accompanied by 15 members of the company’s IP department. At the meeting on 13 February 2025, Mr Wolke emphasised that the high quality of EPO services is appreciated, including when it comes to the company’s core business areas such as green industrial transformation and the automotive sector.

​Discussions also covered the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in IP at thyssenkrupp, both in terms of the patentability of AI-based inventions and how AI can improve patent processes.

​Turning to the Unitary Patent, the uptake rate at thyssenkrupp is above average at 37.5% overall. It was explained that this can vary according to business segment, with especially high uptake in areas requiring broad market protection, such as green industrial transformation. It is lower in automotive, where IP protection tends to be limited to specific countries.

​thyssenkrupp, a German industrial engineering and technology company, focuses on areas such as automotive, materials science, steel production and green industrial transformation. In 2024, it reported EUR 35 billion in sales. The company is actively involved in the IP community, with its experts routinely participating as members of working groups and as delegates at conferences. In the Patent Index 2023, thyssenkrupp ranked 16^th among Germany’s top applicants at the EPO, with 200 filings.

​HONOR

​​The HONOR delegation was led by Zhou Wenyu, Director of the Intellectual Property Rights Department, who was accompanied by four colleagues. At the meeting on 5 March 2025, HONOR expressed interest in continuing the open and productive dialogue with the EPO. Discussions covered topics such as quality, timeliness, the Unitary Patent, standard-essential patents and the EPO’s Observatory on Patents and Technology.

​Mr Zhou commended the EPO for its services, noting that the Office is recognised for its high standards in quality and adding that technical understandings with EPO examiners are typically clear and constructive.

​HONOR, a Chinese mobile device company, is a major player in smartphones and consumer electronics. The company’s filings at the EPO have grown from 47 in 2021 to 535 in 2023, when it ranked 36^th among top applicants in the annual Patent Index.