ISBN: 3896051180 9783896051189

Category: Unavailable

Page count: 324

This work was undertaken at the initiative of the European Patent Office to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the European Patent Convention on 5 October 1973. It traces the origins of the European Patent Office (EPO) and its development since the 1970s. In this book, the author sets out to reveal an institution little known by the public despite its remarkable success, performing a function that goes far beyond simply managing patents. He stresses its ever-present human dimension and shows that within a framework of politics, ideals, aspirations and constraints it seeks to provide a unified European environment for innovation.