Željko Topić (born 5 August 1959)[1] is a Croatian civil servant, and a former Vice-President of the European Patent Office (EPO).
[14][15][16][17] In response, the State Intellectual Property Office issued a press release on 30 April 2012 attributing the media reports to what it called "unprofessional journalism" and dismissing the allegations raised against Topić as "arbitrary", "unfounded" and based on "malicious accusations".
The Ethics Council found that Lukić had verified the relevant information with the appropriate official institutions and that the disputed article was not written with the intention of defaming anyone but rather in defence of the public interest.
[19][20] In December 2013, a Croatian NGO Juris Protecta raised questions about Topić's EPO appointment and submitted a petition to the European Parliament calling for an independent investigation into the matter.
[25] Details of the case were not published but it was subsequently reported that it is currently[needs update] pending before a three-judge appeal panel of the Zagreb County Court.