Talk innovation: patent professional edition

Short story time: thought-provoking tales on disability and innovation

Talk innovation: patent professional edition

Show Notes

When dealing with disability, is gene therapy an ethical solution? Can technology encourage a more equitable world? Does society truly listen to people with a disability?

In this special edition, we’ll meet several authors seeking answers to these complex questions. We’ll hear their creations before learning about the inspiration behind each tale. "Who am I?" by Brian Routledge, "L’ Expo" by Christophe Poizat and "Mosaïque" by Paule Gilis were the winning entries in EPO’s writing competition on the theme disability and innovation. The contest was open to all staff and formed part of our celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the European Patent Convention. Brian’s story also won the 2023 essay competition organised by the Brain journal and is published there (link below).

⁠"Who am I" by Brian Routledge on epo.org⁠

⁠"Who am I" by Brian Routledge in the "Brain" Journal⁠

⁠"The exhibition" by Christophe Poizat on epo.org⁠

⁠"Mosaic" by Paule Gilis on epo.org⁠

⁠

More from Talk innovation: patent professional edition

Dec 8, 2025

In recent years the worlds of public research and startups have become more linked than ever, attracting a high share of investment and playing a vital role in European competitiveness.

Oct 14, 2025

How is artificial intelligence changing the way patent professionals search, draft and work with patents? Our expert guests, including patent attorneys, patent searchers and the EPO's Chief Technology Officer, take you on a journey through real-world use cases, ethical consideration and personal experiences with AI in patent practice. From the practical to the forward-looking, this episode explores how AI is already shaping the profession - and what might come next.

Jun 24, 2025

Standards are the invisible protocols that ensure our devices and services work together seamlessly. But how do they relate to patents? And what does this mean for innovation and competition? Uncover how the interplay between standards and patents shapes technological progress. This discussion dives into how the Unified Patent Court and the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre aim to streamline patent litigation and enhance legal coherence across Europe. Finally, we introduce the European Patent Office's new dataset: the Patent Standards Explorer. By linking patent applications to standards documents, it offers a valuable resource for better understanding the innovation journey.  More information:  Standards and the European patent system, May 2025: full study Patent Standards Explorer dataset "Patents, standards and innovation: securing Europe’s competitive edge" event recording Narrator: Victor Arribas Martinez, Stream Leader, EPO Observatory on Patents and Technology Guest: Pere Arque Castells, Stream Leader, EPO Observatory on Patents and Technology Featuring insights from speakers at the EPO Observatory’s "Patents, standards and innovation: securing Europe’s competitive edge" event: Gabriele Mohsler, Vice President Patent Creation Management, Ericsson

Apr 8, 2025

Curious where the latest technology trends are heading? The EPO's annual Patent Index offers a comprehensive look into these advancements, tracking technological growth and patenting activity as well as top applicants and countries in the lead. Join EPO experts as they guide you through 2024’s key insights and explore some of the top fields like computer technology; electrical machinery, apparatus, energy; and transport. They also discuss the uptake of the Unitary Patent and how often women inventors were named on patent applications. Narrator: Jeremy Philpott, EPO Communication Manager Guests: Gilles Requena, EPO Chief Patent Research and Policy Officer Wiebke Hinrichs, EPO Patent Examiner in Cycles, Frames, Chains & Safety Marc Nicolas, Business Analyst at the EPO Yann Ménière, EPO Chief Economist

Dec 3, 2024

This episode delves into the principal challenges facing innovation in Europe, as outlined in Mario Draghi’s prominent report “The future of European competitiveness.” Listen to gain insight into:

See all episodes →