MUNICH - The European Patent Office (EPO) has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Inc Standards Association (IEEE-SA), according to the Office.

Signed by EPO's ad interim Vice-President for Legal and International Affairs, Wim Van der Eijk, and IEEE-SA Managing Director Judith Gorman, the Memorandum aims to increase cooperation between the two institutions on standards and Intellectual Property (IP).

In the MoU, the two organizations agree to share knowledge, information and documentation on technology and standards, and to collaborate on education related to standards and IP issues. The IEEE will also facilitate the involvement of EPO representatives in all relevant IEEE-SA working groups and investigate whether the Office can participate in beta testing of its document management system.

"Clearly defined interfaces and information exchange must be established between formal standards setting organizations and patent offices in order to increase transparency in this critical field, where two types of regulatory systems are interfering," said Wim Van der Eijk. "This is the first agreement of its kind, but it is part of a wider strategy."

"We are also in talks with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and hope to conclude similar agreements with them," he said.

"This landmark collaborative agreement with the EPO will help educate, promote and strengthen positions surrounding intellectual property polices in standardization," says Judith Gorman, IEEE-SA Managing Director. "It opens the door for a wide-range of activities related to IP in efforts to support the IP needs of industry not only in the EC, but around the globe."

Closer involvement with standards organizations is supporting EPO's efforts to make sure that the patent system contributes to the promotion of innovation and a healthy, competitive environment for business.

The IEEE, a not-for-profit corporation based in New Jersey, is a leading developer of international standards that underpin many of today's products and services, particularly in the fields of telecommunications, information technology and power generation.