The Celebration of the 100th epi Council Meeting
The celebration of the 100th epi Council Meeting commenced on Friday afternoon, 7 November 2025, with a memorable retrospective of the Institute’s history and a forward-looking perspective. This special event preceded the official Council Meeting held on 8 November 2025 in Nice, France.
A Look Back: Memories from Longest-Serving Members
The retrospective began with contributions from two of epi’s longest-serving members, John Brown and Axel Casalonga, who shared their personal memories and insights.
Axel Casalonga recounted his presence at the very first Council Meeting on 8 April 1978, held in the Penta hotel in Munich. He vividly described the “highly disputed” discussions surrounding the election of the first president, L.B. Chavannes (NL), who was ultimately elected by an absolute majority. Axel Casalonga also detailed the early debates on the Institute’s name, with “EPI” being adopted during the 4th Council meeting in December 1978. A significant portion of his memories focused on the challenging discussions regarding the professional title “European Patent Attorney,” which, after two years of debate and several Council meetings, was officially allowed in English in May 1980. He emphasized the close and successful cooperation between the European patent attorneys profession and the European Patent Office that began in those early days.
John Brown provided a historical overview, drawing from his extensive review of Council minutes from C1 to C98. He highlighted a recurring theme: Council’s tendency to revisit decisions, illustrating this with the evolution of Council election frequency (eventually moving to three-year terms in 1999) and the persistent discussions about the size of the epi Board. He noted that the Board’s size was a frequent topic, with proposals for reduction often being rejected or deferred, eventually leading to the establishment of the Presidium. Brown also reminisced about the more “leisurely” discussions characteristic of early Council meetings, such as C2 in Paris.
A Panel of Presidents: Past, Present, and Future
The event featured an impressive panel of past and present presidents, including those who contributed via video messages. Each shared memorable events and developments from their tenure, collectively painting a picture of an Institute that evolved from its inception to become a powerful and respected player in the European and worldwide patent systems.
The participating presidents present were Jan D’Haemer (served president from 1985-1989), Elisabeth Thouret Lemaître (served from 1995–1997), Walter Holzer (served from 1999–2005), Chris Mercer (served from 2005–2008), Kim Finnilä (served president from 2008–2011), Tony Tangena (served from 2011–2017. Interviewed by current president Peter R. Thomsen, they each shared memorable moments, difficult and important decisions having shaped our profession over decades and offered messages to young European Patent Attorneys. Dieter Speiser (served from 1989–1991), David Votier (served from 1991-1995) and Francis Leyder (served from 2017–2023) contributed a video message, sharing funny or remarkable moments.
Their combined narratives covered a wide range of developments, from the founding of epi and the creation of the EQE and professional training, to the opening towards Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and representation before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
A Satirical Glimpse into the Future
The celebration also included a satirical look into the future, envisioning a scenario at the “C200” meeting in 2075. This segment depicted a “carbon-based president,” Christian A. Mohr (Future Epic Intelligence President), struggling with an “AI-powered cyber-entity,” Anna Guðmundsdóttir (VP of AI-Human Integration). This AI entity, along with other futuristic characters like PolicyPete (Ethics Harmonizing Strategist), Quanta£solt (Crypto QuantumBit Custodian), KatkaByte Tiematrix (VP of epi-NOVA Systems), and MagdusiaCore Sentinel (Algorithmic Bureaucracy General), ultimately faced system failure due to a “plethora of motions by unruly council members.”
Concluding Remarks
The event concluded with remarks from EPO Vice-President Christoph Ernst, who emphasized the strong and valuable collaboration between the EPO and epi. Finally, epi President Peter R. Thomsen delivered the concluding words, bringing the memorable celebration to a close.
