The director of the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office Karin Žvokelj and the President of the Austrian Patent Office Mariana Karepova first presented the activities and major achievements of the two Offices. This was followed by presentations by field.

First, the representatives of the two offices exchanged experiences in the field of digitisation of processes, in particular the experience with the introduction of the e-filing system for trade marks and designs and the replacement of back-office systems, where both offices have opted for identical solutions. In the area of digitisation, it was agreed to establish contacts at the level of technical staff to support the exchange of experience in the use of digital tools and processes.

In the area of patents, we agreed on cooperation between the two offices on state of the art searches with expert opinions, and in the area of promotion and awareness of IP to the public and stakeholders, we agreed on the exchange of ideas and good practices.

Both delegations deemed the visit as very successful. A return visit by the management and representatives of the Austrian Patent Office is planned for next year in Ljubljana.