Partner | Dr. sc. nat. ETH, Dipl. Biol., European and Swiss Patent Attorney
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„an expert on patent applications related to all kinds of technology”
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„Patent star 2023”
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„with a pragmatic approach and an open-minded attitude”
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„a very smart patent attorney who has an excellent grasp of complicated technologies”
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„Patent star 2022”
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„very experienced”
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„Life sciences and mechanics are strong suits for him”
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„a Fulbright scholar and font of industry-acquired wisdom”
In his work as a European Patent Attorney, Dr. Alfred Köpf is focusing on biotechnology, organic chemistry, medical technology, process technology, and mechanics.
Dr. Alfred Köpf studied Biology at the University of Bayreuth, Germany and wrote his Diploma Thesis on the Chemical Ecology of Anthraquinones in leaf beetles. He joined the Masters Program in Entomology/Agriculture at the Kansas State University as a Fulbright scholar and came to the ETH Zürich for his PhD thesis on molecular evolution. Before he started his academic career, Alfred Köpf worked for several years as a CNC-lathe-worker and gained thereby practical experience in mechanical engineering. He has been active since several years in the public discussion about patentability of biological inventions (AIPPI Switzerland (Q 150 und Q159), Science et Cité, LES). Since 2003 Dr. Alfred Köpf is lecturing on patents at the Department of Chemistry and applied Biosciences (D-CHAB) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich. In 2011, he was elected by the Swiss Parliament to become a non-permanent judge of the newly established Swiss Federal Patent Court.
International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property
Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office
European Patent Litigators Association
Fédération Internationale des Conseils en Propriété Industrielle
International Bar Association
Swiss Association for Intellectual Property Law
Swiss Association of Judges
Association of European Patent Attorneys in Switzerland (private practise)
Association of Swiss Patent and Trademark Attorneys
European Practitioners in Intellectual Property
- The Influence of the European Patent with Unitary Effect on Switzerland's Role in the European Patent Organisation
sic! 10/2023 (Link zum Beitrag)
01 November 2023 - Does AI as a Research Tool Challenge Freedom of Research?
Life Science Recht Nr. 2, 2023, S. 69–72 (Link zum Beitrag)
20 July 2023 - EPO Case Law for Computer- Implemented Inventions (T 0550/14 [Catastrophe relief/SWISS RE]of 14.9.2021)
sic! 01/2023 (Textauszug, pdf)
28 April 2023 - The Unitary Patent Package – A System to Support SMEs?
Life Science Recht Nr. 1, 2023, S. 5–12 (Link zum Beitrag)
31 March 2023 - Exhaustion of Method Patents in Switzerland: “Sell Someone an Inch and They’ll Take a Mile”?
Life Science Recht Nr. 4, 2022, S. 243-250 (Link zum Beitrag)
10 November 2022 - Sind mündliche Verhandlungen mittels Videokonferenz vor dem EPA das neue Normal (G1/21)?
sic! 06/2022 (Textauszug, pdf)
10 November 2022 - Buchbesprechung - Die Auslegung und Formulierung von Patentansprüchen
sic! 05/2022 (Textauszug, pdf)
17 May 2022 - Challenges and Opportunities in Licensing Biotech-Research Tools
Life Science Recht Nr. 4, 2021, S. 199–207 (Link zum Beitrag)
23 November 2021 - Medical Devices and the Exclusion from Patentability
Life Science Recht Nr. 2, 2021, S. 71–80 (Link zum Beitrag)
23 November 2021 - Priority: Shield and Sword (of Damocles) – Decision T844/18 («CRISPR/Cas9»)
sic! 05/2021 (Textauszug, pdf)
21 May 2021 - Schweizerisches und europäisches Patent- und Patentprozessrecht
4. Aufl., Bern 2021
16 April 2021 - Entscheidung der technischen Beschwerdekammer des Europäischen Patentamtes vom 27. November 2018
sic! 2020, 343 ff.
06 April 2021 - Opinion G 3/19 of the Enlarged Board of Appeal
Life Science Recht Nr. 3, 2020, S. 168 ff.
27 November 2020 - The Concept of Plausibility in Patent Law
Life Science Recht Nr.1 2020, 45-51
26 March 2020 - Case Law of the Swiss Federal Patent Court in 2018
Life Science Recht Nr. 4, 2019, 262 ff.
06 November 2019 - Patentability of Plants after T 1063/18
sic! 2019, 7/8, S. 457 ff.
23 August 2019 - Genome Editing – Upcoming Challenges for Life Sciences Law
Life Science Recht Nr. 1, 2019, S. 64 ff.
06 February 2019 - Discussion Platform: Patenting Procedures in the Pharmaceutical Field
Life Science Recht Nr. 2, 2018, S. 136 ff. (Link zum Beitrag)
13 September 2018 - Decision G 1/16 of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office – Disclaimer III
sic! 2018, 500 ff.
13 September 2018 - Paediatric Extension and Paediatric Certificate in Switzerland
Life Science Recht Nr. 1, 2018, S. 23 ff.
17 July 2018 - Case Law of the Federal Patent Court – Selected Decisions in 2017
Life Science Recht Nr. 3, 2018, S. 213 ff.
17 July 2018 - Geistiges Eigentum – Der Designschutz
in: KMU-Magazin Nr. 6, Juni 2016, S. 40 ff.
28 June 2016 - Alles klar! - Entscheid der Grossen Beschwerdekammer G 3/14 vom 24. März 2015
sic! 2015, 476 ff.
24 August 2015 - Patente auf Stammzellen - europäische Ethik und Verfahrenstaktik
sic! 2009, 462 ff.
11 June 2009
- Is a license required for CRISPR gene editing? If yes, how do I get one? In this article, some of the challenges in licensing CRISPR gene editing are discussed.05 April 2022
- What does the introduction of the patent box in Switzerland mean for businesses? Matthias Städeli and Alfred Köpf write about the new tool under Swiss law.20 May 2019