Alfred SPIGARELLI has joined Santarelli as off-counsel after more than 30 years spent at the European Patent Office.

Alfred is well known in the intellectual property community as one of the best experts of the European patent system. Former chairman of opposition divisions, Alfred was the Director in charge of the Directorate Patent Procedures Management. As such, he was among other things, responsible for drafting and updating the EPO Guidelines, and for implementing legal changes. He has inspired and implemented most of the major procedural and legal changes in the EPC and PCT framework which took place in the last 15 years. “Raising the Bar”, “Early Certainty from Search”, “PCT Direct” and the reform of the opposition procedure belong among his most known achievements. In 2017, Alfred Spigarelli was appointed Principal Director Quality Management ad interim.

Santarelli’s clients will directly benefit from Alfred’s awesome expertise in the intellectual property at international level and viewed from “the other side of the bench”. At Santarelli, he will develop and implement new business models for strengthening the global patent protection required nowadays by the innovative industry based on global patenting strategies focusing on cost effectiveness. He will also develop for Santarelli training and refresher courses for IP practitioners at large inside and outside Europe.