Intellectual Property, and in particular patents, are critical assets for companies in various industries. However, the number of patents granted is not the main factor here. For a valuable contribution to the economic success of a company, it is instead crucial whether the granted patent is of high quality. The reason for this is that only high-quality property rights can be effectively enforced and upheld. Accordingly, only such patents will amortise expenditures that have been made on R&D and on filing patents.

In addition to that, low quality patents negatively affect other companies in their daily business, as these companies have more efforts in their R&D departments to show that the scope of protection of a low quality patent is unjustified.

Invalid and ambiguous patents are an unnecessary burden to society and an innovative economy.

For the above-mentioned reasons, the signatories of the IPQC want to ensure that patent quality in Europe and through the EPO is the highest in the world.

Unfortunately, the daily factual experience of the undersigned companies with search and examination reports leads them to believe that the search and examination quality of the EPO decreased in the last years. To again meet the ambitious requirements set above, a group of industrial companies and regular EPO applicants created the Industry Patent Quality Charter (IPQC) and aims for a constructive exchange with the EPO.

On this website, we provide in-depth information about the initiatives’ concrete actions and demands as well as the status of the IPQC conversations with the EPO. Furthermore, you can learn about IPQC supporters from the industry as well as get in touch with signatories of the Charter.