Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI), based in Bern, is an agency of the federal administration of Switzerland responsible for patents, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial designs and copyright.

It is part of the Federal Department of Justice and Police. Since 1996, it operates as an autonomous agency with control of its own budget.

The Federal Intellectual Property Agency was founded on 15 November 1888. Albert Einstein worked there as a patent clerk for several years, including 1905, his Annus Mirabilis (miracle year). That year, while continuing to work on patents, Einstein published four groundbreaking papers that are fundamental to modern physics.

The agency was renamed the Federal Office of Intellectual Property in 1978 as part of the new administrative organisation law. On 1 January 1996, it received the status of an independent public law institution and continued under the name of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI).

The IPI is responsible for administering industrial property rights such as patents, trademarks, and designs. It collaborates with national and international bodies to safeguard Swiss indications of source. The institute also regulates copyright collection societies and provides information on intellectual property rights to individuals and businesses.

The IPI's tasks are laid down in Federal Act on the Status and Tasks of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPIA) adopted by the Federal Assembly in 1995. Its main tasks are:

The IPI examines patent applications but this examination, as of 2021, does not include checking whether the invention meets the novelty and inventive step requirements.

Directors General