Sophia Antipolis, France, 27 November 2025
Today, the European Patent Office and ETSI held their first high-level meeting at the EPO’s headquarters in Munich, marking a new chapter in a partnership that started two decades ago. During the meeting, EPO VP for Legal and International Affairs Christoph Ernst and ETSI Director-General Jan Ellsberger signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a 3-year Workplan.
A forward-looking framework for innovation
In his opening remarks, EPO VP for Legal and International Affairs Christoph Ernst underlined that the renewed MoU reflects the EPO’s commitment under its Strategic Plan 2028 to building future-oriented partnerships that enhance transparency, quality and digital transformation across the global innovation ecosystem. He noted that the link between patents and standards is increasingly vital for Europe’s competitiveness in rapidly evolving fields such as 6G, artificial intelligence, quantum and clean technologies.
“The EPO and ETSI stand at the crossroads of technology and regulation,” the VP for Legal and International Affairs said. “Our co-operation ensures that fresh ideas can flourish – built on reliable standards, transparent patent information and the participatory processes that underpin Europe’s innovation system.”
Connecting patents and standards for quality and transparency
The renewed agreement reaffirms the EPO’s long-standing access to ETSI standards and working documents, which are essential sources of non-patent literature in patent examination. These materials play a central role in ensuring the quality, consistency and reliability of patent searches and decisions. The MoU also introduces new areas of collaboration on education, SMEs outreach and policy communication.
A key focus will be on improving accessibility in standard-essential patents (SEPs) through direct data links between ETSI’s IPR database and EPO patent tools such as Espacenet, PATSTAT and the Technology Intelligence Platform. This integration will help users access SEP information on a transparent manner, supporting evidence-based policymaking and innovation management.
Shared priorities for Europe’s innovation landscape
ETSI Director-General Jan Ellsberger welcomed the renewed agreement as a milestone in connecting the worlds of standardisation and intellectual property. “Working with the EPO advances our shared mission to support Europe’s technological leadership through open, transparent and interoperable systems,” he said.
The accompanying Work Plan 2025–2028 defines joint activities focused on data integration, SME training, joint outreach events and analytical co-operation through the EPO Observatory on Patents and Technology. Together, these initiatives will help bridge the gap between technical standards and patent knowledge, promoting Europe’s sustainable growth and its role as an international reference for the framing of strategic technologies.
The event was also the opportunity to interview ETSI’s Director General on the evolving role of standards and patents, on Europe’s innovation challenges and on future priorities and emerging technologies.
Listen to the video here.
