PATINNOVA '99
18-20 October 1999, Haliddiki, Thessaloniki, Greece

For the first time ever, the European Commission and the European Patent Office (EPO) are joining forces to promote the value of patents and patent information. PATINNOVA '99 will run back-to-back with the EPO's EPIDOS Annual Conference (20 - 22 October).

Together they will create an event that will bring all users of patents and patent information right up-to-date. It will be the largest gathering of Intellectual Property Rights experts ever held in Europe.

PATINNOVA '99: Themes

• Current and future developments in patent information.

• Current and future developments in raising awareness of patents / policy initiatives.

• Patent litigation in Europe: Is there a problem? How often does it occur? What does it cost? What does the future offer?

The EPIDOS Annual Conference will focus on the retrieval of patent information, the Internet and other tools available on the market. Delegates can try all these at the parallel exhibition and the free Internet Cafe. Delegate can also join one of the specialized training courses that will be on offer throughout the event.

There will also be an exhibition running in parallel with the PATINNOVA and EPIDOS conferences. Patent offices, commercial patent information suppliers and information brokers will be exhibiting there.

PATINNOVA and EPIDOS will be of interest to everyone involved in the innovation process. This includes decision-makers in industry and government, patent professionals, innovators, consultants, universities, chambers of commerce and intermediaries.

Contact: Mr. Trevor Jones at Trevor.Jones@lux.dg13.cec.be for organizational preparation and Dr. Manfred Schmiemann at Manfred.Schmiemann@lux.dg13.cec.be for academic content preparation .