Patents, paper and microbreaks: a day in the life of an EPO examiner

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Cookies Settings

Patents, paper and microbreaks: a day in the life of an EPO examiner

January 23 2012
willemgijsels-45.jpg

Willem Gijsels is an examiner in the telecommunications cluster at the EPO. He joined the Office in 1996 after five years in industry and works in The Hague. This EPO site is home to about 2,500 EPO staff, roughly half of whom are examiners. He tells Emma Barraclough about a typical working day

Unlock this content.

The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers.

To unlock this content:

Take a Free Trial or Login

Topics

NetherlandsNewsEuropean Patent ConventionPatentsEuropeJurisdictions
more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Patents
AdobeStock_1826053223.jpeg
A return to ‘big law’? what’s on the horizon for Judge Albright?
Sources say the judge could return to a disputes or mediation-focussed role, though others have questioned whether the Texas court will remain a litigation hotspot in his absence
Sanjana Mishra, April 30 2026
Patents
Sheppard IP partners (1).jpg
Sheppard hires five partner team from Perkins Coie
Sheppard, which has hired 14 IP partners in the last 12 months, has cited client demand for expert counsel in SEP, ITC, and district court disputes
Sanjana Mishra, April 30 2026
Patents
Tingxi Huo final.jpg
'Pursue pragmatism': Chofn partner on the importance of perseverance
Tingxi Huo joins our ‘Five minutes with’ series to discuss boosting the value of clients’ IP and the importance of reflection
April 30 2026
Patents
UK Supreme Court
Major FRAND case draws to a close at UK Supreme Court
Hefty legal teams assembled for a three-day hearing in what was the court’s first foray into SEPs since Unwired Planet v Huawei
April 29 2026
Patents
View of the skyline of Birmingham, UK including The church of St Martin
Withers & Rogers bets on Birmingham for new UK office
IP firm's new base will be located inside the tallest office space in the UK's ‘second city’
April 29 2026
Trademarks
Aerial view of a crowd with a network of connections, generative ai
‘Listen, hunt in packs and don’t show up drunk’: lawyers’ top networking tips
Practitioners at four firms across Asia and Europe share the do’s and don’ts of mindful networking ahead of the INTA Annual Meeting
Sukanya Sarkar, April 29 2026
Trademarks
BA-London-Basic-Logo-White-Background border.png
Weekly take: Why 'network for good' Brand Action turns connections into impact
Brand Action explains why the IP community can be a force for good in the world as thousands of professionals prepare to head to London for INTA’s Annual Meeting
Cadence Merker, April 29 2026
Trademarks
Abrande (1).png
Exclusive: AI-powered IP boutique Abrande launches in Hong Kong
The firm, which has also hired a senior trademark leader to lead operations in the region, believes greater China to be one of the most important IP jurisdictions
Sukanya Sarkar, April 28 2026
Copyright
ai-600.jpg
The Article III Standing Problem for AI-Scraping Anti-Circumvention Claims
Attorneys at Gibson Dunn share why plaintiffs’ growing reliance on DMCA anti-circumvention claims in AI scraping cases exposes a critical vulnerability
Eric Vandevelde, April 27 2026
Patents
Sailing yacht on the ocean
Swapping sails for the City: new CMS partner waves goodbye to life on the Med
Tom Carver, who spent the last 18 months sailing the Mediterranean, tells Managing IP why he’s ready to return to land
April 27 2026
Gift this article