The Hungarian Intellectual Property Office celebrates its 130th anniversary

By: Trademagazin Date: 2026. 03. 11. 09:44

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The Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIO) is celebrating its 130th anniversary. The celebratory event, held in connection with the anniversary and attended by a significant international presence, focused on the history of one of Hungary’s oldest, continuously operating state institutions, as well as the technological and other challenges of the future, the HIO told MTI on Wednesday.

In the announcement, Szabolcs Farkas, President of the HIO, highlighted that we are not only celebrating the existence of an institution, but also all those who have believed in the power of creation over the past 130 years and all those who continue to work for it every day. work.

The history of the office was defined by outstanding events such as the 2003 accession to the European Patent Convention, which opened the door for Hungarian innovation to the unified European patent area. With Hungary’s EU membership in 2004, the possibility of obtaining uniform protection across the entire territory of the Union was directly opened up for domestic enterprises and rights holders, and at the same time, close professional cooperation began with the European Union Intellectual Property Office – they wrote.

They added: the international authority of the office was greatly strengthened by the work of Árpád Bogsch as Director General of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) for a quarter of a century, as well as the launch of the Visegrád Patent Institute, which was established in 2016, which gave the institution an outstanding international status.

They mentioned that the office changed its name in 2011, and the name Hungarian Intellectual Property Office already reflects the expanded scope of its tasks. reflected, in which the role of the industrial property protection authority was accompanied by an integrated copyright task, covering the entire spectrum of intellectual property – such a power is not common even in the international ecosystem.

On the occasion of the anniversary, the SZTNH compiled a special anniversary website, which summarized the stories and turning points of 130 years in a spectacular and informative form. The anniversary celebration on March 3 also discussed the future of IP, the challenges posed by digitalization and artificial intelligence, the need for continuous development of services, and how to ensure the best possible way for innovators and businesses to protect their ideas in a rapidly changing environment, the SZTNH reported.

The legal predecessor, the Royal Hungarian Patent Office, was founded on March 1, 1896. Over the past thirteen decades, the name and organizational structure of the institution – as the Patent Court, the National Invention Office or the Hungarian Patent Office – have changed in line with historical and economic challenges, but its fundamental mission, the protection of Hungarian intellectual creations, has remained intact.