At a conference among heads of national patent offices on Nov 29, European Patent Office (EPO) President Benoit Battistelli said that "simplifying procedures, eliminating language barriers and disseminating patent information will greatly benefit the users of the European and Chinese patent systems".

"Innovation is the trend in global markets, so the patent system needs a corresponding framework and services to meet the ever-changing demands of companies worldwide," he said.

SIPO Commissioner Tian noted that China is now Europe's second largest trading partner, so patent protection in Europe is essential to Chinese companies.

"With the development of bilateral trade, Chinese companies are expected to show up on EPO's important client list," he said.

(Source: China Daily)