Everything comes together

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Summary: More information about connections between CGD and the Portuguese Intellectual Property Office (INPI)

THE next President of the EPO isn't quite what he seems. There are things about him which he isn't eager to disclose, hence our series about his past.

Previous parts of this series are as follows:

• The Darker Past of the Next President of the EPO - Part I: Introduction
• The Darker Past of the Next President of the EPO - Part II: António Campinos at Banco Caixa Geral de Depósitos
• The Darker Past of the Next President of the EPO - Part III: More Details About Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Former Employer of Campinos

Campinos and his supporters boasted/showed off his experience in the field of "IP" (they intentionally don't say trademarks, which are not the same as patents). But what does his track record in trademarks really show? This is the subject of today's final part of this series.

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Some interesting details about links between CGD and the Portuguese Intellectual Property Office (Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial - INPI) have been unearthed on the official Web site of the INPI.

An undated press release posted on the INPI Web site reports on the establishment of a "strategic partnership" agreement between Caixa Capital, a venture capital company of CGD Group, and INPI for the promotion of technology-based entrepreneurship.

The collaboration protocol was signed the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Caixa and by the President of INPI, António Campinos.

Campinos took up his position as President of the OHIM in Alicante (now EUIPO) on 1 October 2010 just three months after Battistelli had been installed as President of the EPO.

This means that the press release must date from some time between 2005 and 2010, in other words from the time that Campinos was Director of the INPI.

Translation of the text of the undated press release:

Technology-based entrepreneurs with easy access to financial resources

Caixa Capital, a venture capital company of CGD Group, and INPI have established a strategic partnership agreement for the promotion of technology-based entrepreneurship.

This agreement aims to support national inventors, creators and entrepreneurs in the protection and economic valuation of their innovations, in particular by promoting the availability and facilitating access to financial instruments and resources to enable them to realise business ideas.

It was also announced during the signing of the protocol, the creation of the Invention Award of the Year, to be launched in the first quarter of 2010 within a fair that will showcase inventions and other intellectual creations registered with INPI.

It is also planned to jointly organise a series of Academy-Industry meetings, with the aim of facilitating the transfer and valorisation of the research results developed by the entities of the National Technological and Scientific System.

The collaboration protocol was signed by Eng. Faria de Oliveira, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Caixa and Dr. António Campinos, President of INPI.

A more recent press release from January 2015 reports on a further and much more far-reaching "collaboration protocol" between the INPI and CGD.

Translation of the text of the January 2015 press release:

INPI and CGD sign Collaboration Protocol

Taking into account INPI's strategic orientation, to promote cooperation with national organisations and entities with a view to increasing Portuguese business competitiveness and strengthening the use of Industrial Property among the academic, scientific and business communities, it was signed on 5 January of 2015, a Protocol of Collaboration between INPI and Caixa Geral de Depósitos.

The Protocol, in addition to establishing the terms of the partnership between the two entities, also intends to implement the following activities:

- Sharing of statistical information related to Industrial Property rights, made available by INPI;

- Sharing of publicity materials made available by INPI;

- Organisation of training actions in matters of Industrial Property, within the framework of the activities promoted by the Industrial Property Academy of INPI;

- Participation in events and publicity actions organised by CGD.

If the INPI and CGD deem it appropriate to pursue the objectives set out in the Protocol, other forms of cooperation may be established, duly agreed upon and introduced in an addendum to the Protocol.

23 January 2015

An earlier press release from February 2011 reveals that the INPI had already been closely involved in events and publicity actions organised by CGD.

In this case, the event in question was the "INVENTA - Caixa prize" which is an "Inventor of the Year" award of the kind which will be familiar to observers of the EPO. Of course the Portuguese event is a small-scale one and far more low key than the "European Inventor of the Year" ceremony.

By a curious coincidence, the "personalities" who turned up for the "INVENTA - Caixa Prize" ceremony in Lisbon in February 2011 included none other than EPO President Benoît Battistelli. Maybe this is where he got his inspiration for his EPO extravaganza?

Translation of the text of the February 2011 press release:

INVENTA - Cash Prize | INPI - Winners

The winners of INVENTA - Caixa Prize | INPI.

In a ceremony held yesterday at Caixa Geral de Depósitos headquarters in Lisbon, the sector and absolute winners of INVENTA - Caixa Prize | INPI.

INVENTA.com

PT Innovation with the patent "High Performance Discovery Device for Content Transmission"

INVENTA.san

University of Coimbra with the patent "Nouveaux derives de porphyrine, notamment chlorines et / or leurs applications en therapie photodynamique"

INVENTA.eco

Oon Recycling Solutions with the patent "Transforming food oil used in candles"

Overall Winner

University of Coimbra with the patent "Nouveaux derives de porphyrine, notamment chlorines et / or leurs applications en therapie photodynamique"

The sector winners will be awarded a prize of 15,000 euros and the overall winner a prize of 25,000 euros.

The prizes were delivered by the following personalities:

Dr. Maria Leonor Trindade of the National Institute of Industrial Property;

Dr. Jorge Tomé of Caixa Geral de Depósitos;

Dr. Luís Portela from Health Cluster Portugal;

Dr. Diogo Vasconcelos of the Portuguese Association for the Development of Communications;

Prof. Daniel Bessa from COTEC and

Dr. José Honório from the Business Council for Sustainable Development,

all members of the jury,

the President of CGD Faria de Oliveira,

the President of the Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market António Campinos,

the President of the European Patent Office Benoît Battistelli and

by the Secretary of State for Justice and Judicial Modernization José Magalhães.

To all candidates, nominees, sector winners and absolute winner, INPI presents its congratulations.

25 February 2011

A Portuguese press article from May 2017 (see the top) reported that CGD had been successful in a trademark dispute between CGD and the Spanish-owned Caixabank. The dispute involved the "Caixa" trademark.

The word "caixa" in Portuguese means something like a cash desk (similar to the Spanish "caja" or French "caisse") so it seems somewhat surprising that such a generic term can be protected by trademark. But with the right connections to your local Intellectual Property Office it seems that nothing is impossible these days. ⬆