The Institute
The European Patent Institute is a professional body, representing registered European Patent Attorneys and currently has a membership of 10.000. All registered European Patent Attorneys are a member of this institute. The governing body of the Institute is the epi Council which comprises registered European Patent Attorneys from all the states contracting to the European Patent Convention. The Council is elected once every three years. The senior body within the Council is the Board which comprises at least one member from each of the designated states. From this Board is drawn the President and the Vice- Presidents of the epi. All members of the epi Council work voluntarily for the Council.The epi Council maintains close contacts with many bodies in the world of intellectual property, most notably the European Patent Office and WIPO, representing the interests of the European Patent Attorneys and, by extension, their clients, before these bodies. The epi also serves to regulate, with the European Patent Office, the European qualifying exams which must be passed by any individual wishing to become a European Patent Attorney. The epi is also responsible for maintaining high standards of professional conduct within the profession.