First Ingolstadt Patent Day lays foundation for new focus at THI

More than 130 participants came to Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences to exchange views on current developments in the patent industry at the first Ingolstadt Patent Day. Prof. Dr. Andrea Klug, head of the conference and professor for patents and industrial property protection at the THI, emphasised how practice-oriented the lectures were. Klug began by welcoming high-ranking experts such as Dr. Regina Hock, President of the Federal Patent Court, Bernd Maile, Vice President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and Beat Weibel, Chief IP Counsel Intellectual Property (Siemens AG).

The central theme of the event was the challenge of a digital, networked and international world with regard to intellectual property (IP). THI President Prof. Dr. Walter Schober welcomed the patent experts, employees from patent and legal departments, and representatives from law firms to the university and was pleased that Andrea Klug was so "passionate about the subject and pushing it forward at the university".

THI sets an example in Bavaria

Due to its strength in technology and business, THI offers a perfect environment to establish the topic of intellectual property in the university strategy in a sustainable way. "We are setting an example in Bavaria and will anchor patenting in scientific research," said THI President Schober. There are plans to introduce a master's degree programme in patent engineering at THI and to promote knowledge transfer in and outside the university through PI projects in teaching and further education. The research strength of the university and the know-how in the field of artificial intelligence, with the distinction of being one of four AI nodes in Bavaria, provide the optimal foundation for this. "In this way, the TH Ingolstadt is making an important contribution to strengthening the MINT sector with a view to the IP needs in future technologies," says Prof. Dr. Andrea Klug.

"THI is a young but renowned university," Bernd Maile, Vice President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, put it in a nutshell at the beginning of his presentation. Maile outlined the opportunities and risks of the introduction of the European Unitary Patent and emphasised the advantages of the German patent. "The German patent continues to be strategically important. It has low costs and risks," Maile said.

Patent industry faces major challenges

Dr. Regina Hock, President of the Federal Patent Court, reported on the first practical experiences with regard to the second law on the simplification and modernisation of patent law. Many new, technical judges were needed to quickly process the proceedings with increasingly specific requirements.

Patent attorney Beat Weibel, head of the IP department of Siemens AG, provided information on the challenges companies have to face. "We are concerned with regard to the development of patent quality," said Weibel. Therefore, he said, several companies had joined forces to specifically seek dialogue with the European Patent Office. This topic then also provided the occasion for a first round of discussions.

Until the early evening, the participants heard further exciting presentations. Among others, Wolfgang Roidl, Head of Patent Management at Krones AG, spoke on the topic of "Investigative Patent Search" and Bruno Götz, Head of the Patent Centre Bavaria (Bayern Innovativ), focused on the topic of "Legally spying with patent-based analyses".

True to the words "networking is the special trademark of the Patent Day", the participants of the Patent Day made lively use of the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss technical topics after the lectures.