The CPVO today renewed its Administrative Arrangement with the European Patent Office (EPO) to continue their cooperation. On 31 March, in an online meeting, President Francesco Mattina of the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) and President António Campinos of the European Patent Office (EPO) renewed the EPO-CPVO cooperation agreement for a duration of five years.
The first Administrative Arrangement was signed in 2016. It enabled greater transparency and exchange of knowledge between the two organisations.
The cooperation focuses on data exchange and sharing work practices regarding the use of databases and other work tools. The exchange of data allows the examiners to search plant varieties protected by certificate, thus further increasing the validity of the European patents. The relevant databases have also been made available to the member states of the European Patent Organisation.
The EPO and the CPVO are in constant dialogue. This dialogue has proven essential in the protection of plant-related innovations and will play a key role in facing the challenges of the 21st century.
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