Our trainers are from the Austrian Patent Office as well as from renowned national and international institutions, universities, and companies. They combine in-depth expertise with many years of practical experience, enabling them to present topics related to patents, innovation, and intellectual property in a particularly clear and practical manner.
Thanks to their diverse professional backgrounds, they bring a wide range of perspectives to our events—from legal and technical issues to strategic aspects in the fields of innovation and intellectual property rights. As a result, participants benefit not only from theoretical knowledge but also from concrete insights into day-to-day practice.
Our trainers, in alphabetical order:
Ákos Bazsó has been a technical examiner at the Austrian Patent Office in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Division since 2019. His areas of expertise include computer-implemented inventions in the fields of computer-aided design and modeling, as well as information and communication technology in the healthcare sector.
Wolfgang Dietl advises technology-oriented companies and research institutions on the systematic and sustainable use of intellectual property (IP strategy/management), with the goal of ensuring that innovative products and services are successfully commercialized.
Karoline Eder-Helnwein has been with the Austrian Patent Office since 2007. She is a legally qualified member and deputy head of the Legal Department for International Trademarks and Designs. She also works in the Nullity Division and serves as a lay judge with expertise in the field at the Vienna Higher Regional Court.
Hildegard Etz has been a technical examiner at the Austrian Patent Office since 2004. In addition to her main job of examining patent applications, she travels throughout Austria as an ambassador for the Patent Office, giving lectures, leading workshops, and advising on all matters related to IP protection.
Klaus Förster has been employed by the Austrian Patent Office since January 2001. In addition to his work in the area of examining the registrability of trademarks, he is responsible for the cancellation of trademarks in opposition and invalidity proceedings.
Silvie Fröch has been a member of the legal department at the Austrian Patent Office since 2004, where she serves as a legal expert in the International Trademarks and Designs Division. In addition to her lecturing activities, she is a member of the Nullity Division and serves as a lay expert judge at the Higher Regional Court.
Georg Gamauf works as a technical examiner at the Austrian Patent Office in the Civil Engineering/Physics Division.
Ursula Höfermayer headed the Trademark Services Department until June 2017. Since then, she has been responsible for organizing educational and training programs on intellectual property topics as part of the Austrian Patent Office’s IP Academy. Her area of expertise: trademark searches.
With a technical background in chemistry, he focuses on assisting clients – ranging from startups to large corporations—in obtaining, defending, and enforcing their intellectual property rights. He has acted as a patent attorney in numerous patent infringement cases.
Martin Riedl has been a member of the legal department at the Austrian Patent Office since 2022. His areas of expertise include European and international patent law (in particular European patents, unitary patents, and PCT proceedings) as well as national legislative drafting.
Thomas Stojanovic has been working as a technical examiner at the Austrian Patent Office since September 2016. In addition to his core responsibility of examining patent applications in the field of mechanical engineering, he provides advice on topics and questions related to IP protection as part of the discover.IP project.
Gudrun Strasser has been working in the Legal Department for Austrian Trademarks at the Austrian Patent Office since 2006. Her responsibilities include, among other things, examining the registrability of trademarks and evaluating oppositions. Her area of expertise is national trademarks.
Palmiro Torre has been with the Austrian Patent Office since October 2006 and has worked in Technical Department 3 (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) since January 2016. In addition to his core responsibility of examining patent applications, he provides advice on intellectual property protection issues as part of the Discover.IP project.