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See the latest inventions and enable innovation

Patent examiners get to look into the future.

Among the first to encounter groundbreaking inventions, they deal every day with the latest and most challenging technical innovations.

Their daily work combines scientific expertise with analytical research and an eye for the legal aspects of intellectual property.

Their main tasks are to search and examine patent applications received by the EPO. Patent applications are text and drawings describing an invention for which an individual or a company is seeking legal protection.

Patent examiners enable innovation. 

Today, patent quality is more important than ever. So not every invention can qualify for a European patent. And the people who decide whether to grant them are the EPO's patent examiners.

In doing so, they contribute to economic growth and enable solutions that help millions of people. Industries that make intensive use of patents contribute 15% to the EU's GDP and are responsible for the bulk of its trade activities. They generate more than 22 million jobs in Europe, which on average pay 69% better than other industries. And patented inventions – from medicines that cure illnesses to self-driving cars that avoid accidents – improve lives.

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    Inventors: Terese Alstin, Anna Haupt
    Company: Hövding Sverige AB
    Patent number: EP1947966

    Invention: Inflatable bike helmet

    About the invention

     

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    Inventor: Laura van 't Veer
    Companies: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., The Netherlands Cancer Institute
    Patent number: EP1410011

    Invention: Gene-based breast cancer test

    About the invention