Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property
Encyclopedia
The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (French
: Institut Fédéral de la Propriété Intellectuelle, German
: Eidgenössisches Institut für Geistiges Eigentum or IGE, Italian
: Istituto Federale della Proprietà Intellettuale) is the federal agency in charge of intellectual property
matters in Switzerland
. Its seat
is in Bern. The agency is in charge of patent
s, trademark
s, industrial design
s and copyright
.
The Institute was established November 15, 1888. Its official names have been: from 1888 to 1979, the "Federal Office for Intellectual Property", from 1979 to 1996, the "Federal Intellectual Property Agency", and since January 1, 1996, the "Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property" (statutory federal institute with independent legal status).
Albert Einstein
worked from 1902 to 1907 at the Institute, known at that time as the Federal Office for Intellectual Property; it was often casually referred to as "the patent office" at the time.
Dr. Roland Grossenbacher
is the current Director of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Institut Fédéral de la Propriété Intellectuelle, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Eidgenössisches Institut für Geistiges Eigentum or IGE, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Istituto Federale della Proprietà Intellettuale) is the federal agency in charge of intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
matters in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Its seat
Seat (legal entity)
In strict legal language, the term seat defines the seat of a corporation or organisation as a legal entity, indicating where the headquarters of this entity are located...
is in Bern. The agency is in charge of patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s, trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s, industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
s and copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
.
The Institute was established November 15, 1888. Its official names have been: from 1888 to 1979, the "Federal Office for Intellectual Property", from 1979 to 1996, the "Federal Intellectual Property Agency", and since January 1, 1996, the "Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property" (statutory federal institute with independent legal status).
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
worked from 1902 to 1907 at the Institute, known at that time as the Federal Office for Intellectual Property; it was often casually referred to as "the patent office" at the time.
Dr. Roland Grossenbacher
Roland Grossenbacher
Dr. Roland Edouard Grossenbacher is a Swiss attorney at law, who served as chairman of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation from March 5, 2000 to March 4, 2009. He was appointed at this post for a first three-year term on 5 March 2000. He was then reelected in 2002 for a...
is the current Director of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.