Johannes Bob van Benthem

Who was Johannes Bob van Benthem?

Johannes Bob van Benthem was a Dutch lawyer. He was the first president of the European Patent Office, from November 1, 1977 to April 30, 1985.

He obtained a Doctorate in Dutch Law from the University of Amsterdam in 1946. Then, he worked for the Netherlands Patent Office, first as a lawyer starting in 1946, then later on as President of the Netherlands Patent Office from 1968 to 1977, prior to working at the European Patent Office.

"He was awarded honorary doctorates by the law faculties of Munich and Strasbourg Universities."

From the beginning of December 2007, a street near the buildings of the European Patent Office in Rijswijk, near The Hague, Netherlands, will be named after him. More particularly, "the stretch of Koopmansstraat between Tinbergenstraat and Limpergstraat will be known as Van Benthemlaan". In October 2013, the address of the EPO headquarters in Munich was also renamed in his honor.