The European Patent Office on the way to the patent office of Europe

The European Patent Office has a history of about twenty years. Now, it seems that it can enter a new and even more successful phase. The author, who observed the development of the European Patent System relatively closely from the beginning and acted on several committees drafting and revising the rules and regulations of this system, reports about the newest, and most dramatic, step of the European Patent Office to become more attractive for applicants.