Editorial

M. Névant (FR), Editorial Committee

En Marche ! (Moving forward!)

My fellow countrymen may have the feeling, judging by the title of this editorial, that it is an ode to the glory of the recently elected French President. Not in the least!

The recent Council meeting in Warsaw (reported elsewhere in this issue) proved to be a long but successful journey that will carry momentum for our Institute. The Committees have now been appointed for a 3-year term, and, no doubt, they are active, along with the Board, in further advancing the influence of epi among major IP stakeholders.

The European Patent Organization elected a new President, Mr António Campinos, to succeed Mr Battistelli as President of the European Patent Office. Mr Campinos’ term of office will commence on 01 July 2018. We wish Mr Campinos well in his new position, and we look forward to a further strengthened relationship with the EPO.

We also note with great interest that commencing in 2018, the EPO is implementing a new structure for handling oppositions: five directorates have been created, exclusively devoted to oppositions. We understand that the aim of the new structure is to harmonize the practice within the opposition divisions. This initiative, which is part of the Early Certainty programme, is to be applauded, and is a further step taken by the EPO to ensure that quality patents are granted and maintained.

We could not end this editorial without paying tribute to Terry Johnson, the former Chair of this Committee, whose Editorials have always been a source of inspiration. Thank you Terry for the opportunity to work with you. Together with the other members of the Editorial Committee, I wish you all the best for many years to come!

On that note, the Editorial Committee sincerely wishes all our readers a Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous 2018.