24/11/2017 (Agence Europe) – The European Patent Office (EPO) announced on Thursday 23 November that, at a high-level meeting in Zhengzhou, it had signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). EPO President Benoit Battistelli and his Chinese counterpart Shen Changyu underlined that this unique agreement reinforces a historic co-operation dating back more than 30 years. The comprehensive strategic partnership sets out the principles for co-operation in areas such as laws and policies, the patent granting process, user services and training. It is valid for an unlimited time, and will be complemented by annual work plans. Battistelli said the new agreement would include new areas such as artificial intelligence and green technologies. (PH)