Quality management

The Austrian Patent Office is distinguished by highest quality standards, making it one of currently only 13 Patent Offices worldwide that is recognised as an International Research and Examination Authority by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Every report is reviewed by at least two internal experts, and our Quality Management Board conducts random inspections and communicates any recommendations for improvement to the staff. An extensive range of training courses for our internal experts is an essential element of our success strategy, allowing our staff members to acquire knowledge and skills not only internally, but also with patent offices in other countries. These standards are highly acknowledged, as is shown by the Austrian Patent Office's participation - as only one of four patent offices, the others being the German, Danish and English Patent Offices - in the so-called Utilisation Pilot Project (UPP) within the scope of the European patent network. The aim of this project is to achieve a further quality improvement and more international competence through an exchange programme for auditors and an exchange of best practices. To make the procedures and their interactions more transparent and applications more promising, guidelines for applicants are available from the Patent Office. The enhancement of quality awareness through specific quality management is our contribution towards increased customer satisfaction.