VDiQ IP Services is pleased to share some personal — and professional — news.
Following the 2026 committee elections of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi), Steven van Dijk, founder and CEO of VDiQ IP Services, has been elected as the full member representing the Netherlands on the epi Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) for the next term.
The election results remain subject to formal validation by epi Council at its C103 meeting in Bratislava on 21 November 2026, at which point the new term will commence..
For Steven, the election is both an honour and an opportunity to contribute to an area that lies at the heart of professional IP practice: the standards by which European patent attorneys exercise their profession.
What does the epi Professional Conduct Committee do?
The Professional Conduct Committee deals with matters relating to the professional conduct of epi members.
Its role goes considerably further than dealing with questions of misconduct. The PCC supports epi in promoting compliance with the professional rules applicable to European patent attorneys. Among other things, it formulates recommendations on professional conduct, provides opinions in response to conduct-related enquiries from epi members, contributes to the development of the epi Code of Conduct, and assists on matters relating to disciplinary proceedings.
The composition of the PCC also makes the election particularly meaningful. Each epi member state may have no more than one full member and one substitute member on the committee.
Steven has been elected to serve as that full member for the Netherlands for the next PCC term.
Professional conduct in a changing profession
Professional conduct may sound like a traditional subject, but the questions facing the profession are anything but static.
Confidentiality, conflicts of interest, responsibility for work product, communication with clients and the proper organisation and transfer of files remain fundamental issues. At the same time, technological developments are creating entirely new questions about how those principles should be applied.
Artificial intelligence is perhaps the clearest current example.
The PCC developed the epi Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI in the Work of Patent Attorneys, which were adopted by epi Council in November 2024. Those guidelines address subjects including confidentiality, understanding the tools being used, verification of AI-generated output, responsibility for the final professional work product and the interests and wishes of clients.
The work has continued. In 2025 and 2026, the epi Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) considered AI-related enquiries from epi members, including questions concerning internal AI policies and the use of generative AI in professional patent work. The committee is also currently working on the relationship between the Code of Conduct and proposed reforms of the disciplinary system.
These are not abstract issues. They concern how patent attorneys work every day — and, ultimately, the trust that clients and the public can place in the profession.
The “Q” in VDiQ
For VDiQ IP Services, there is another reason why this particular committee feels especially appropriate.
The Q in VDiQ stands for Quality.
We normally speak about quality in terms of understanding an invention properly, drafting strong patent applications, developing sensible IP strategies and giving clear and pragmatic advice.
But professional quality is broader than technical excellence.
It also means acting independently and with integrity. It means protecting confidential information. It means recognising conflicts of interest. It means understanding the tools that we use and remaining responsible for the work we produce. And it means being prepared to discuss how established professional principles should apply when technology and professional practice change.
In other words:
Professional conduct is not separate from professional quality. It is part of it.
Steven comments:
“I am genuinely honoured to have been elected as the Netherlands full member of the epi Professional Conduct Committee for the next term. Professional rules are sometimes seen as something in the background of our daily work, but they actually touch almost everything we do as patent attorneys.
I am particularly interested in how well-established principles such as confidentiality, independence, responsibility and client interests should be applied as our profession evolves. AI makes some of these questions very visible, but the underlying issue is much broader: what should clients be entitled to expect from a professional representative?
That is a discussion to which I am very happy to contribute.”
Contributing to the European patent profession
VDiQ IP Services was founded on the belief that quality and passion matter when providing intellectual property services.
We are therefore delighted that, following formal validation of the election results, Steven will have the opportunity to contribute his experience to the epi Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) and, through it, to the continuing development of professional standards within the European patent profession.
And perhaps there is a pleasing symmetry to it:
When your company puts “Quality” in its name, being elected to a committee concerned with the professional standards of your profession feels rather appropriate.
