2027 UNION-IP Round Table Munich
The topics of this Round Table:
– Who is shaping the future of European Patent Law?
– Inventive Step: Different Approaches across the European Patent System
Munich, DPMA Forum | DE
26.02.2027
DPMAForum, German Patent and Trademark Office
Zweibrückenstrasse 12, 80331 Munich
February 26, 2027, 09:15 – 15:00
Organized by the Patents and Litigation Commissions of UNION-IP
Who is shaping the future of European Patent Law?
This panel will examine the roles and influence of the European Patent Office (EPO), the Boards of Appeal of the EPO, the Unified Patent Court (UPC), and other relevant institutions and forums in shaping European patent law. It will also consider the prospects for greater coherence, competition and complementarity within the European patent system. A key question to address is who leads the way in legal developments, and in particular how decisions of the Boards of Appeal of the EPO may affect the UPC and national courts, and vice versa.
Inventive Step: Different Approaches across the European Patent System
This session will explore the relationship between the EPO’s long-standing problem-solution approach, the UPC’s more recent “holistic” methodology, and the approaches adopted by national courts, which may follow or share aspects of both. It will also address the practical implications of these different approaches for patent applicants, litigants and practitioners.
Program
09:15 Doors and Registration
09:45 Welcome words
10:00 First panel: Who is shaping the future of European Patent Law?
11:15 Break
11:35 Second panel: Inventive Step: Different Approaches across the European Patent System
12:35 Round table discussion with all panellists
13:30 Closing words
Get together & Buffet lunch
New program addition:
15:00 – 16:30 Visit to the EPO Art Collection / Patent Archives
As every year, the panels will be featuring experienced speakers in the field of IP, stay tuned!