Brinckerhoff Quoted on PTO/EPO Patent Classification System

Foley Partner Courtenay Brinckerhoff was quoted in an article that appeared in The National Law Journal on October 25, 2010 titled “PTO and European Patent Office team up on classification system.” Brinckerhoff discusses a deal between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) to create a patent classification system aligned with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s International Patent Classification system. She states that it makes sense for the EPO and PTO to use each other’s work to gain efficiencies, but notes that the gains will be limited by the similarity of the laws being applied by both agencies.