Josef Kratochvíl elected Chairman of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation

12 December 2018

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation today elected Josef Kratochvíl (CZ) as its Chairman. Mr Kratochvíl succeeds Christoph Ernst (DE) who, in October, was appointed Vice-President for Directorate General Legal and International Affairs of the European Patent Office. Mr. Kratochvíl is currently Deputy Chairman of the Council and is also the President of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic.

The election took place in Munich at the 158^th meeting of the Administrative Council of the EPO. As the new Chair, Mr. Kratochvíl will begin his tenure on 1 January 2019 and serve for three years. Currently composed of the delegates of 38 Contracting States, the Administrative Council is the supervisory body of the Office.

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