On March 16, the EPO joined the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in organizing a conference on IP in Sofia under the auspices of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Simeonov?underlined?that the quality and potential of an economy strongly depend on the development of a?strong scientific and technology base?in the country, as well as on entrepreneurship and discussed the strengthening of the European patent system as a factor in boosting innovation and the economy. EPO President Beno?t Battistelli outlined recent developments in the European patent system and the importance of patents in supporting innovation and economic growth, which is set to be boosted by the Unitary Patent. The Deputy Economy Minister, Lachezar Borisov, highlighted the importance of the close co-operation between the Bulgarian patent office and the EPO and underlined the role of IP as an enabler of technology transfer and further R&D. In bilateral discussions with Bulgarian Patent Office President Petko Nikolov, joint activities and projects were addressed.

Source: epo