On Thursday,
EPO President António Campinos met the State Enterprise Ukrainian Intellectual
Property Institute (UKRPATENT) Director General, Andrew Kudin to understand
more about the Ukrainian Office’s needs and concerns in the current tragic
circumstances.
„On behalf of
the EPO, on behalf of our staff, let me express how much we are impressed by
the way the UKRPATENT is handling the consequences of this military
aggression“, said President Campinos opening the meeting. „In these difficult
times, every one of us in the office feels Ukrainian“.
Director
General Kudin subsequently shared a humbling insight into life and work
conditions in Ukraine. He described how the UKRPATENT was set up as a 24/7
living space for staff members and families, providing medical supplies and a
shelter. Andrew Kudin
also expressed his heart-felt gratitude to the EPO and its
staff members for their assistance and engagement: „You can’t imagine how
important your support is. What matters the most in these circumstances is
human support. Words are not enough to express our appreciation“.
In the course
of the meeting, the two offices agreed to immediately initiate a cooperation
based on a reinforced partnership. In addition to the technical assistance
granting access to patent information and other patent-related databases under
privileged conditions, the EPO will provide IT support to enhance the security
of the UKRPATENT critical data. Furthermore, an HR programme will explore the
possibility of offering secondments of UKRPATENT staff to the EPO.
The measures will support the actions already taken by
the EPO to support those affected by Russian military aggression.
At a very early
stage in the crisis, the EPO froze its co-operation activities with the Russian
national patent office as well as with the Eurasian Patent Organization.
At the European
Patent Organisation’s Administrative Council meeting on 22 March, the Office activated the „EPN Responsive
Network“ for all members of the European Patent Network (EPN) in order to
exchange information and coordinate actions in
an open and timely manner.
The fundraising campaign initiated by the Office and its staff has generated
over EUR 415 000. This amount has been channelled to the Red Cross and the
United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The EPO has also proposed legal
safeguards to the Ukrainian patent applicants and professional representatives
who are unable to file patent applications or meet the organisation´s
deadlines.
Finally, a framework has also been adopted to allow ad-hoc
temporary enrolment for Ukrainian children in the European Schools in Munich
(ESM) and The Hague (ESH). So far, ca. 40 Ukrainian children have
registered at the ESM.
Many colleagues
have also contributed by hosting families, donating commodities and volunteering with local charities. The Office has
supported their endeavours by setting up a dedicated intranet page, EPO
for Ukraine, to coordinate donations and
volunteering activities.
President
Campinos concluded the meeting by saying: „Our heart is with you, our hands are
with you and we are at your service“.
A dedicated
team will now push forward to explore the joint actions further, as agreed
between the heads of office.