Representation

In Europe

Patents

Representation before the European Patent Office (Munich Convention) is reserved for qualified agents duly registered with the European Patent Office (EPO), who have passed the relevant qualifying examination. They have the title of “European Patent Attorneys”, “Mandataires Agrées auprès de l’Office Européen des Brevets” or “Europäische Patentanwälte”. Such representation is mandatory for an applicant not domiciled in one of the signatory countries of the European Patent Convention, which are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Great-Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey.

Four of our staff members who have representational responsibilities are European Patent Attorneys. The fith one is now qualifying.

We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that certain patent agent firms that describe themselves as such have no staff members with the necessary qualifications or accreditations to represent you, and in order to do so use “frontmen”.

You can download the Power of Attorney form for the European Patent Office here.

Trade Marks and Designs

Representation before the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), a Community agency of the European Union accredited to receive and register trade marks and designs, can be offered only by European Community Attorneys, now covering the following all 25 European Union Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and Great-Britain, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungry, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. Soon Bulgaria, Romania and, in the longer term possibly , Turkey will be joining the Union, and Community Designs will immediately extend their effects without special formalities to these countries when they join the Union. Such representation is mandatory for European Union non-residents.

Such accreditation is reserved only for accredited EU citizens who can provide evidence of long national and international experience and who appear in this capacity on a list held by the OHIM.

Our firm is qualified to act as European Community Attorney at the OHIM, both in the area of trade marks and that of designs.

In France

Representation in France is the preserve of those registered with the National Institute for Industrial Property, who have passed that body’s examination and who have also been qualified by the CEIPI (Centre for International Industrial Property Studies] in Strasbourg. Representation is mandatory for foreign applicants.

Those qualified to represent applicants used to have the title “Conseils en Brevets”, but now have the title of “Conseils en Propriété Industrielle”. This title allows general representation unless supplemented by the designation “patents”, which limits that person’s accreditation to the field of patents only, or the designation “trade mark”, which limits that person’s accreditation to the field of trade marks and designs only.

In order to operate at European level, French "Conseils en Propriété Intellectuelle" must be registered as European Patent Attorneys.

You can download the Power of Attorney form required for an application in France here.

In Switzerland

Currently, representation is not subject to any provision except that the name of a representative should not appear on the list of those prohibited from providing representational services at the Federal Intellectual Property Office. Representation is mandatory for non-Swiss applicants.

In order to operate at European level, Swiss representatives must also be registered as European Patent Attorneys.

You can download the Power of Attorney form required for an application in Switzerland here.