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Color drawings and WIPO DAS

As of 1 October 2025, the EPO permits the electronic filing and processing of drawings in color and grayscale. This change, set out in the Decision of the President (OJ EPO 2025, A49) and the accompanying Notice (OJ EPO 2025, A57), represents a departure from the long‑standing requirement that drawings be submitted exclusively in black and white line form. The new framework provides applicants with greater flexibility in the preparation of visual disclosures, particularly in areas where colour conveys technical information that cannot readily be expressed through conventional monochrome illustrations.

The EPO processes the color drawings throughout the Office’s internal workflows. This includes their extraction and preparation for deposit with the WIPO Digital Access Service. Practitioners should be aware, however, that downstream Offices may apply their own technical constraints when retrieving documents via WIPO DAS. Where an accessing Office does not yet support the processing of colour drawings, it may convert such documents to black and white as part of its intake procedure.

Applicants relying on color to convey essential technical content are therefore advised to consider whether jurisdictions of interest can accommodate such material without loss of information.

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Search and Examination Matters 2026

The European Patent Office will host “Search and Examination Matters 2026” online from 2 to 5 February 2026. This free event, organized with epi, offers four afternoon sessions featuring 16 presentations on key topics in patent practice. A major focus will be on artificial intelligence and its impact on search and examination, including challenges in sufficiency of disclosure. Other sessions will address inventive step in graphical user interfaces and practical issues faced by professionals. The event encourages interactive discussion with EPO examiners and experts, providing a platform to exchange insights and ask questions. Sessions will not be recorded, so live participation is essential. Registration is open now, and attendance is free.

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Upcoming Changes to DPMAdirektPro

Starting March 1, 2026, the revised version of the Regulation on Electronic Legal Communication at the German Patent and Trademark Office (ERVDPMAV) is expected to take effect. This revision will significantly impact how electronic documents are delivered via the DPMAdirektPro Electronic Mailbox. To ensure a smooth transition, users must take action now if they wish to continue using electronic document receipt under the new rules.

Under the new version of § 5 ERVDPMAV, electronic documents will be considered delivered on the fourth day after being made available for retrieval, provided the user has consented to digital delivery and understands its legal implications. The DPMA is in the process of updating the DPMAdirektPro terms of use accordingly. Users must grant consent for document delivery and provide an email address for notifications. Without these steps, access to electronic document delivery will not be possible after the regulation takes effect.

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EPO Discontinues PACE for Search

The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced a major change to its PACE programme in Official Journal 2025, A69. Starting 1 February 2026, the PACE programme will no longer apply to the search phase. This decision reflects the EPO’s success in consistently delivering search reports within its six-month target.

PACE will remain available only for the examination phase, allowing applicants to speed up the issuance of the first examination report and communications under Rule 71(3) EPC. A revised Form 1005 will be introduced in 2026 for examination acceleration requests. Other acceleration options, such as the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), remain unaffected.

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Quantum Innovation

The upcoming EPO-OECD event Scaling up Quantum Innovation will provide insights on how quantum technologies are moving from theory to transformative applications. Quantum encryption and quantum computing (nascent fields during my PhD days) are now contributing to the next technological revolution. These breakthroughs promise to redefine security, accelerate computing, and power digital transformation across industries. The event will explore patenting trends, investment challenges, and strategies to bridge the gap between research and commercialization. It is inspiring to see how early-stage concepts have evolved into drivers of tomorrow’s economy.

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Connecting Soil Health and Innovation

On November 19, 2025, the Interessengemeinschaft gesunder Boden e. V. invites practitioners, researchers, and innovators to the third annual Praxis- und Vernetzungstag which is held in hybrid format (with the on site event taking place in in Neunburg vorm Wald). This event, held just before the renowned Bodentag, is a unique opportunity to engage in hands-on discussions and field-based learning focused on sustainable land use, forest management, water conservation, and regenerative agriculture.

In a time in which climate resilience and resource regeneration are central to both policy and market development, events like this serve as incubators for eco-technological progress.

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Gruselsaison trifft IP

Pünktlich zu Halloween hat das Deutsche Patent- und Markenamt (DPMA) eine informative Website bereitgestellt, die geistige Eigentumsrechte im Lichte von Halloween beleuchtet. Von schaurigen Erfindungen bis hin zu gruseligen Designs werden auf der Website echte Patente, Designs und Marken vorgestellt, die illustrieren, dass auch gespenstische Gadgets und kürbisförmige Süßigkeitenbehälter durch geistige Eigentumsrechte geschützt werden können.

Diese Initiative ist mehr als jahreszeitliche Unterhaltung. Sie veranschaulicht, wie tief geistiges Eigentum in unser tägliches Leben verwoben ist, selbst in Zusammenhängen, die wir vielleicht nicht erwarten. Ob es sich um Kostüme, Dekorationen oder Themenprodukte handelt, die Rechte des geistigen Eigentums sorgen dafür, dass Kreativität und Innovation belohnt und geschützt werden. Die Halloween-Seite des DPMA erinnert uns daran, dass hinter vielen cleveren Ideen ein rechtlicher Rahmen steht, der Erfinder, Designer und Unternehmer unterstützt.

In einer Welt, in der Trends schnell zu kommerziellen Phänomenen werden, ist die Bedeutung von geistigem Eigentum deutlicher denn je.

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Spooky Season Meets IP

Just in time for Halloween, the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) has launched an informative website that explores the intersection of Halloween and intellectual property. From eerie inventions to ghoulish designs, the site showcases real patents and trademarks that bring the spooky season to life—demonstrating that even ghostly gadgets and pumpkin-shaped candy carriers are protected by IP rights.

This initiative is more than seasonal fun. It illustrates how deeply intellectual property is woven into our daily lives, even in contexts we might not expect. Whether it’s costumes, decorations, or themed products, IP rights ensure that creativity and innovation are rewarded and protected. The DPMA’s Halloween page reminds us that behind many clever ideas there exists a legal framework that supports inventors, designers, and entrepreneurs.

In a world where seasonal trends quickly become commercial phenomena, the importance of IP is clearer than ever.

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Nobelpreis für Physik 2025

Mit dem Nobelpreis für Physik 2025 werden John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret und John M. Martinis für ihre bahnbrechenden Arbeiten im Bereich des Quantentunnelns ausgezeichnet. Die Energiequantisierung in supraleitenden Schaltkreisen ist eine der Grundlagen für Quantencomputer, die auf supraleitenden Qubits basieren. Rückblickend auf meine Promotion und meine Postdoc-Zeit, während der ich mich mit theoretischen Aspekten makroskopischer Quantenphänomene und des Quantencomputings beschäftigt habe, finde ich die raschen Fortschritte auf diesem Feld sehr aufregend.

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2025 Nobel Prize in Physics

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics honors John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis for pioneering work related to quantum tunneling. Energy quantization in superconducting circuits is one of the foundation for quantum computing based on superconducting qubits. As someone who worked on theoretical aspects of macroscopic quantum coherence and quantum computing during my PhD and postdoc, I am amazed at how quickly the field has evolved.