Switzerland has been named the most innovative country in the world for the 14th consecutive year. On 26 September 2024, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presented the Global Innovation Index (GII) in Geneva. The GII is the most renowned annual ranking of the innovative strength of individual countries. Switzerland has ranked first out of a current total of 133 countries since...

After around 20 years of negotiations, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) succeeded in adopting a new treaty on intellectual property and genetic resources in the small hours of 24 May 2024. The new treaty stipulates that the origin of genetic resources and the associated traditional knowledge must be disclosed in patent applications. The aim of this measure is to increase...

On 22 May 2024, the Federal Council submitted a draft on the revision of patent law for consultation. This provides for the establishment of a clearing house to increase transparency regarding patent rights in plant breeding. The consultation procedure will run until 12 September 2024. Federal Council media release Further information on our website

We have made changes to our forms: ‘Application to register a design’ (in German, French and Italian) ‘Application for the grant of a patent’ (in German, French and Italian) and ‘Designation of inventor’ (in German, French and Italian). Please use these new versions to facilitate the processing of your applications. The changes are minor.

The 4th edition of the Swiss Cleantech Report is now available. This reference publication shines a spotlight on Switzerland’s strengths in the field of clean technologies and highlights a range of technologies, products and achievements developed by Swiss SMEs, research institutes and start-ups. The focus of this latest edition is put on sustainability, in line with the UN’s Sustainable...

The final vote on the partial revision of the Patents Act was held in Parliament on 15 March 2024. The National Council approved the bill by 191 to 0 votes with 0 abstentions and the Council of States approved it by 44 to 0 votes with 0 abstentions. If no referendum takes place, the Federal Council will decide on the commencement of the Act. At the same time, preparations are already being...

In 2023, 16,908 national trade mark applications were filed with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). This was a slight increase compared with 2022 (16,728). Almost 98% of applications were filed online via e-trademark. Word marks came out on top once again, accounting for more than 56% of all applications. Combined trade marks, consisting of words and images, were also...

Ahead of World Cancer Day (4 February), the European Patent Office (EPO) has just released a new study, which finds that innovation in the fight against cancer has surged by 70% between 2015 and 2021, as measured by the number of international patent families (IPFs). Switzerland contributed largely to this development. In the past 20 years, close to 5000 international patent families have been...

Many industries use patents, trade marks and copyright to protect their intellectual property. At the same time, emerging companies often find it difficult to turn such intangible assets into capital to support their growth. There are some exceptions, however, as a study commissioned by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)...

As the various procedures and register maintenance work in the fields of trade marks, designs and patents have been harmonised, the IPI has drawn up new guidelines to reflect this harmonisation. These harmonised guidelines concern the sections ‘General section’, ‘Registration/grant procedure’ and ‘Register maintenance’. They were submitted to stakeholders for consultation. The IPI has also...

Our popular online services for trade marks have been expanded. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) now also offers databases for all IP rights as well as various digital services to make it easier for customers to manage their IP rights and pay fees. Here's an overview of the new online services. New databases for patents, designs and supplementary protection...

Eversys SA is making a name for itself with its professional coffee machines from Valais – thanks partly to four key patents. Co-founder and engineer Robert Bircher talked to us about when patent protection is needed and what he did wrong when he filed his first patent application. Read the whole story in our blog.

On 18 November 2022, a technical meeting on voluntary licensing took place in Bern between the Swiss Confederation, Product Development Partnerships (PDPs), the Swiss pharmaceutical sector and representatives from international organisations. The event was facilitated by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The aim was to bring...

Marcus Ehnle (born in 1969) will become a member of the Executive Board on 1 July 2023. As the new Head of the Patent Division, he will replace Alban Fischer, who will be leaving the IPI at the end of June 2023 after more than 24 years of service. Marcus Ehnle initially studied geophysics and then obtained a Master of Law (University of Lucerne), and is a qualified European, German and Swiss...

The Patents Act is to be adapted to international standards and the Swiss patent system is to be made more attractive to SMEs and individual inventors, in particular. They will be able to choose the patent examination procedure that suits their needs and resources. At its meeting on 16 November 2022, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the partial revision of the Patents Act for submission...

A new study released today by the European Patent Office (EPO) finds that 13.2% of inventors in Europe are women. The study, the first of its kind to be published by the EPO, is based on the percentage of women inventors named in all patent applications to the EPO from 1978 until 2019. It highlights that while the women inventor rate in Europe has been rising in recent decades (up from only 2% in...

Seventy-five years ago, Walter Steiner invented the legendary rotary clothes dryer. The once patented ‘Spinne’ is still part of Stewi AG’s product range. The new owners of the company continue to protect their innovations. Read the whole story in our blog.

Switzerland is the 2022 innovation world champion The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022 ranks Switzerland as the most innovative country in the world for the twelfth successive year. The index covers 130 countries. Ranking 1. Switzerland (number one in 2021) 2. USA (3) 3. Sweden (2) 4. UK (4) 5. Netherlands (6) 6. South Korea (5) 7. Singapore (8) 8. Germany (10) 9. Finland (7) 10....

Date: 13 July 2022 Time: 11.30am – 2pm  Location: ZHAW, St.-Georgen-Platz 2, 8401 Winterthur, Building SW, Room 401 or online (LINK) The revision of the Swiss Patent Act is intended in particular to increase the value of the Swiss patent. For the fully examined patent, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) will in future examine all legal requirements, including novelty...

The topic of meat substitutes is on everyone's lips here in Switzerland, as in many countries. At the forefront of Swiss manufacturers in this field is the start-up Planted, whose success is partly due to its systematic protection of intellectual property. Read the whole story in our blog.

By means of notices dated 30 April and 29 December 2021, Germany terminated the Agreement of 13 April 1892 between Switzerland and Germany on Reciprocal Protection for Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (SR 0.232.149.136). This decision follows a judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union dated 22 October 2020 (joined cases C-720/18 and C-721/18) in which the court ruled that the above...

During 2021, Switzerland’s life sciences sector again played a major role in combating the COVID pandemic with two Swiss based companies developing in partnerships effective Covid-specific therapeutics (Humabs BioMed/Vir Biotechnology and Molecular Partners/Novartis). In addition, Swiss life science companies also continued their work developing innovative solutions for other high unmet medical...

Following positive experiences with earlier events of this type in 2016 (“watch technology”), 2017 (“pharmaceuticals”) and 2019 (“computer implemented inventions”), the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property and the European Patent Office are pleased to invite you to a public seminar on patenting issues in the area of “Green Tech”, with particular focus on “battery storage” and on...

The European Patent Office (EPO) received 188 600 applications in 2021, up 4.5% on the previous year and the highest number to date. The EPO’s Patent Index 2021, published today, shows that patent filings rebounded significantly last year after a slight dip in 2020 (-0.6%). The number of patent applications – an early indicator of companies’ investments in research and development – increased in...

Substantive patent law is to be harmonised internationally. The European Patent Organisation and the intellectual property offices in 45 industrial countries, including Switzerland, have been pursuing this objective since 2014. The aim of harmonisation is to simplify and accelerate procedures, lower the costs for obtaining and enforcing patent rights, and increase the predictability of procedures,...

Swiss companies demonstrated their innovative spirit once again during the second year of the pandemic. More trade mark applications were filed in 2021 than in the previous year. Additionally, around 1,000 innovators carried out a search with the IPI to examine their inventions in detail. More trade mark applications are filed every year in Switzerland. This upward trend also continued during...

When smear-ripened cheese is stored in airtight packaging, it often loses some of its flavour and becomes sticky. A new manufacturing process resolves this problem. It was devised with the help of a stocking. Read the whole story in our blog

A new feature called the Global Innovation Tracker provides a snapshot of global innovation activity, including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual Global Innovation Index evaluates the innovative performance of individual countries based on around 80 indicators. Leader in patents Back in March, the European Patent Office’s (EPO) Patent Index revealed that Switzerland was able to...

The Federal Council acknowledged the results of the consultation on the partial revision of the Patents Act at its meeting of 18 August 2021 and decided on the further course of action. Modernising the patent examination procedure was, in principle, welcomed in the consultation. The Federal Council has decided to take into account the criticism voiced in individual areas by making adjustments to...

«Grass and Stark’s remarkable cross-disciplinary research has led to an invention that has the potential to reshape our approach to long-term data storage,» says EPO President António Campinos. «With digitalisation transforming almost every aspect of society, this innovation represents a leap forward in terms of improving the durability of the information we produce and holds promise for...

The European Patent Office (EPO) is hosting the first-ever digital edition of the European Inventor Award ceremony on Thursday, 17 June, which viewers will be able to watch at inventoraward.org. The ceremony, an important event in the science and innovation calendar, will give audiences around the globe an opportunity to learn about outstanding inventors from Europe and beyond who have devised...

From 1 July 2021, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) will administer patents and designs, alongside trade marks, in the new electronic IP rights administration system. This successfully concludes a project which has been running for several years and which brings a lot of changes for the IPI and the day-to-day work of its employees. The project aimed not only to replace...

On 23 June, Startup Days (SUD) will take place in the Kursaal in Bern. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) is sponsoring the event and its experts will be on hand to answer questions about protecting innovations. In a session with the world's most famous secret agent, event participants will also learn which specific aspects of protection are relevant for start-ups looking...

Under the motto ‘IP & SMEs: taking your ideas to market’, this year's World IP Day focuses on the critical role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the economy, and how they can use IP to become more competitive and resilient. SMEs in Switzerland account for 99% of all companies. For these SMEs, too, everything started with an idea that found its way to market. When such an idea is...

While the spotlight was on Covid-related projects (such as cloning of the virus, diagnostic development or vaccine production) Switzerland and Swiss biotech companies did not lose sight of other unmet medical needs and continued to invest heavily to expand their R&D and manufacturing infrastructure. Investors contributed new funds at record levels to advance the promising pipeline of the Swiss...

Buying counterfeits costs consumers huge sums of money. The corresponding trade damages the good reputation of Swiss companies and reduces their turnover by billions each year. As a result, in 2018, Switzerland forfeited over 10,000 jobs. For the first time, a new study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has provided concrete figures on the issue. Global trade...

The number of patent applications received by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2020 from Switzerland has fallen by 1.9% to 8,112 according to the EPO’s newly published Patent Index 2020. The EPO reports that this is the first decline in Swiss patent applications since 2009 (-2.9%), the year after the start of the financial crisis. Despite the declining trend, however, Switzerland was still...

Even in this challenging year, the spirit of innovation in Switzerland has remained intact. The thousandth invention this year was examined for its patenting potential in November at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). The IPI had already carried out one thousand assisted patent searches by November this year. This service supports inventors in finding out where they...

Innovative SMEs and start-ups continue to be seriously challenged by the coronavirus crisis. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) would like to continue to support them in this arduous marathon, which is why it is continuing its offer of assisted patent searches and assisted patent landscape analyses for CHF 100 instead of CHF 300 up until 30 June 2021. The demand for...

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) has updated its guidelines for the substantive examination of national patent applications. The new guidelines (PDF, in German, in French) will apply to all pending procedures from 1 January 2021. The updated guidelines define, in particular, the criteria for the examination of supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) and paediatric...

The Federal Council wants to modernise the Swiss patent system and adapt it to international standards. It opened the consultation procedure on the partial revision of the Patents Act on 14 October 2020. The consultation proposes that a patent should only be granted if the invention to be patented is novel and innovative. This would lead to more legal certainty and increase the value of granted...

The new Swiss Cleantech Report has been published. It presents sustainable innovations from Switzerland developed by SMEs, research institutes and start-ups. Drones for sustainable agriculture, technologies for recycling specific components, state-of-the-art energy management systems and an electric aircraft are just some of the many projects from a total of five categories. High-quality Swiss...

Improving the capacity to store electricity is playing a key role in the transition to clean energy technologies. Between 2005 and 2018, patenting activity in batteries and other electricity storage technologies grew at an average annual rate of 14% worldwide, four times faster than the average of all technology fields, according to a joint study published today by the European Patent Office (EPO)...

Switzerland is the most innovative country in the world for the tenth consecutive year. This is the result of the Global Innovation Index 2020 (GII), based on an assessment of 131 economies worldwide. Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom are next in the rankings. Compared to the EU, Switzerland outperforms in all areas. Switzerland exceeds expectations when it comes to transforming...

Parallel to the Swiss Economic Forum (SEF) 2020, the special event ‘SEF.Wachstum’ for young enterprises and SMEs will take place once again on 2 September 2020 in the afternoon. The programme includes inspiring presentations, for example by international negotiation expert and coach Matthias Schranner, as well as a panel discussion with Caspar Coppetti, co-founder of ‘On’. Within ten years, the...

Switzerland is a key location for innovation in the field of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. In fact, no other country applies to the European Patent Office (EPO) for as many 3D printing technology patents per capita and in relation to economic performance, a fact highlighted in a study published by the EPO on 13 July. Here is an overview of the results of the study: No other...

During the coronavirus crisis, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) supported SMEs and start-ups by providing free assisted patent searches. In an interview, the deputy head of the patent division takes stock, speaks about online meetings being occasionally interrupted by children making noise and praises SMEs’ innovative strength. Read the interview on our blog.

The initiative of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI)  to support innovative start-ups and SMEs with free assisted patent searches in April and May 2020 was a huge success. More than twice as many customers wanted to take advantage of this helpful service than the average in recent years. However, the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic is not yet over, and SMEs...

At their General Assembly, the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) appointed Daren Tang of Singapore as the new Director General. He will succeed Francis Gurry, who has led the organisation for twelve years. Mr Tang’s six-year term of office will begin on 1 October. With reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, the new Director General emphasised that, more than...

In 2019, 1.2 billion Swiss francs were invested in private and public biotech companies according to the Swiss Biotech Report 2020. Gene therapy, artificial intelligence and the production of advanced biologicals have developed into complementary strengths in the past year. The Swiss biotech ecosystem has become even more diverse, write the authors of the report, while the life sciences branch is...

The measures to limit the pandemic are hitting many companies hard: revenue losses, liquidity bottlenecks and short-time working. So ideas are in demand right now, not only to develop crisis-proof business models in the short term, but also to optimally shape the new start post-crisis in the longer term. During this challenging period, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IGE) is...

In 2019, the number of patent applications originating from Switzerland filed with the European Patent Office (EPO) increased by 3.6% to reach a record high of 8,249 (2018 – 7,961). These figures can be found in the EPO’s Patent Index 2019, published today. The increase in applications from Switzerland last year was more than three times higher than the EU average of 0.9%. In 2019, Switzerland...

Trade marks in Switzerland continue to be popular. More than 17,000 applications for trade marks were received by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) in 2019, which is slightly more than the previous year. There are now more than 500,000 trade marks in force nationally. Applications for design rights, on the other hand, have remained stable, while the number of patent...

On 4 December, start-ups presented their innovations as part of the Boldbrain Startup Challenge in Lugano. First place was awarded to Orchestra, a software start-up. The winners received 40,000 Swiss francs and a scholarship worth 45,000 Swiss francs. 400 people attended the ceremony. The Boldbrain programme supports start-ups in the various stages of developing a business idea. It focuses on...

The Swiss courts regularly deal with cases concerning intellectual property law. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) has now published statistics on the court rulings.   The figures on IP rights in 2018 show, for example, that the most court decisions by far are made in the area of trade mark law (57%). This is followed by copyright law (27%) and patent law (9%).   ...

“Pharma and medtech innovation in times of societal, technological and regulatory shifts” is the theme of this year’s Medtech & Pharma Platform Annual Conference. The event, which is its sixth anniversary, is taking place from 24 to 25 October in the Congress Center in Basel. The aim of the annual conference is to bring together stakeholders from the life sciences sector to foster cooperation...

Industries in Switzerland that make intensive use of intellectual property rights (IPR) contribute significantly to employment and the gross domestic product (GDP). This is the conclusion of a European study that has just been published. The European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) have examined the role IP rights play in economic performance,...

On 19 September in Bern, the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) will host a roundtable on “Patenting procedures relating to computer-implemented inventions.” The free seminar will focus on the patentability of software in Europe. Computer programs are, as such, protected under copyright. However, thousands of patents are granted for...

The nomination period for the European Inventor Award 2020 is now open. Up until 30 September, participants can help determine who should receive the coveted award by nominating an inventor. Participation is not limited to inventors. Anyone working in business, research, intellectual property associations, universities and members of the general public can submit a nomination. You can find...

From 1 August, five changes will take effect in the field of patents in Switzerland. They concern, for example, the procedure for multiple changes to the register and for applications which are submitted too early. You can find details of the changes to practice in our newsletter (only available in German or French).

Exceptional inventors have been awarded with the European Inventor Award 2019 at a ceremony in Vienna. The winners, from Austria, France, Japan, the Netherlands and Spain, were honoured for their outstanding achievements in plastic recycling, cancer diagnostics, rechargeable battery technology, marine antifouling and DNA testing. “The imagination, intellect and expertise on display at this...

On 23 May, companies from all over Switzerland gathered at the SEF.Wachstum (meaning ‘growth’) event. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) was present as a partner organisation with an exhibition stand. During the ‘SpeedDating4Growth’ part of the programme, experts from the IPI answered questions about protecting innovation. “Some attendees asked about current issues...

How can I protect my innovation? This question will be the focus of a public event on 8 May at the Tecnopolo Ticino in Manno. SMEs, start-ups and representatives from higher education institutes will participate in the event organised by AGIRE (The Innovation Agency of Southern Switzerland) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). IPI experts will provide attendees with...

From 1 July 2019, new annual fees will apply to Swiss patents and supplementary protection certificates (SPCs). The Federal Council approved the amendment to the IPI Fee Ordinance on 17 April 2019. As a result, a Swiss patent will be less expensive over its entire maximum term of validity. The annual fees will continue to increase in line with the term of the patent. However, they will now...

The new guidelines for the substantive examination of national patent applications will come into effect on 1 January 2019.From this date, those carrying out paediatric studies for medicinal products can request at the IPI an extension to a supplementary protection certificate (SPC) or, if no conventional SPC exists, a paediatric SPC. The IPI has therefore integrated the relevant legislative...

In response to the Federal Supreme Court decision 4A_576/2017 of 11 June 2018, the IPI is changing the practice for granting supplementary protection certificates (SPCs).It is no longer essential that the product to be protected falls within the scope of protection of the basic patent (as in Federal Supreme Court decision 124 III 375 “Fosinopril”); instead, it is essential that the product is...

In our new newsletter we will inform you several times a year about the latest news and provide valuable information from the fields of patents and designs.A topic of focus will be the gradual introduction of the electronic IP rights administration system. With the introduction of electronic administration, the IPI has modernised its internal processes, which in future will open up new...

On 1 July 2018, the operative phase of a joint pilot project of the five largest patent offices of the world (IP5) to test a collaboration on search and examination work of PCT applications (Collaborative Search and Examination, CS&E) began. This CS&E concept involves processing the same PCT application by an examiner from the patent office responsible under the PCT together with examination...

You are invited to attend our info event on 11 April 2018 at Hotel St. Gotthard in Zurich, where we will share information on the variety of ways in which strategic patent analyses can be used in the daily management of patents.This event, which will be held in German, is aimed at patent attorneys from industry and private practice as well as any other interested persons. You can find further...

Pat-INFORMED is the name of the most recent initiative which WIPO launched on 3 October 2017 in Geneva at the WIPO annual general meeting in cooperation with the research-based pharmaceutical industry.According to the Media Release from the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) the Pat-INFORMED database will be made publicly available mid-2018. The aim of...

From December 2017, the IPI will classify Swiss patent documents (i.e. patent applications and patent specifications) according to the Cooperative Patent Classification System (CPC) in addition to the Classification according to the International Patent Classification (IPC). The first documents will be published on 15 December.The CPC is the joint classification system of the European Patent...

Nominations for the European Inventor Award 2018 are now open. The Award recognises outstanding inventors from around the world, from all technical fields and backgrounds. People from industry, research institutes, IP associations and universities, as well as the general public, are all welcome to make a suggestion. You can even nominate yourself if you want!

A presentation on «Patenting procedures relating to the pharmaceutical field» will be held at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) on 7 September 2017. Patent examiners from the European Patent Office and the IPI will be on hand along with a judge from the Federal Patent Court, a patent attorney from a solicitor’s office, and a patent attorney from a large corporation to...

If you want to submit an application for the grant of a patent under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and designate the IPI as the Receiving Office, you no longer have to send your application on paper or by fax. You can now also submit your application online via the ePCT portal of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This system makes submitting international applications...

Patenting practice in the field of watch technology has its own challenges. A half-day public event jointly organized by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) will allow gaining some insight into these challenges.The event will take place at the IPI on 15 September 2016. Patent examiners from both offices, Tobias Bremi from the Swiss...

Patenting practice in the field of watch technology has its own challenges. A half-day public event jointly organized by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) will allow gaining some insight into these challenges.The event will take place at the IPI on 15 September 2016. Patent examiners from both offices, Tobias Bremi from the Swiss...

Even though the Swiss patent system has stood the test of time over the years, it is worthwhile reviewing from time to time to ensure that it still meets the requirements of a rapidly changing framework. Two economic consulting companies therefore addressed this issue under the mandate of the IPI, and have made recommendations accordingly. Further information.

Minor updates have recently been made to the patent examination guidelines. An erratum at the end of the document lists the changes made.The adapted version of the guidelines is now available online (available in German and French only (pdf 1300 KB)

Do you have an idea or an invention? Would you like to know if you can patent it? As well as having ideas for technical innovations, do you also know how you would like to set your goods or services apart with a specific sign or design? The IPI now offers additional information on trade marks and designs as part of this search service, where needed. Within the scope of the Assisted Patent...