24th Jun 2013
An increasingly common type of money-seeking “scam” is the sending of unsolicited mail to the owners of intellectual property rights, in particular to the owners of trade marks, demanding fees for unnecessary and unofficial services. Read on to check that you are not caught unawares. The Proposal The companies involved monitor public databases, such as […]
21st Jun 2013
Those who have first-hand experience of the patent system in the UK, or any other country, know that obtaining a granted patent does not happen quickly. Typically it can take anywhere from two to five years from filing to actually have a granted enforceable right in your hands. In the UK, at least, there are […]
17th Jun 2013
For the last 25 years, debate has raged as to where the line falls between patentability and non-patentability of business method and software-related inventions. Although the broad distinctions were drawn up some years ago, debate into the finer detail remains ongoing. At R&G we have a sophisticated practice advising clients operating in non traditional patent […]
14th Jun 2013
Given that the process of obtaining and maintaining a patent is characterised by a succession of deadlines and time limits, it is inevitable that once in a while applicants or patentees may find themselves unable to take the action required of them within the prescribed term. In many cases, the penalty imposed by the Patent […]
10th Jun 2013
In the February 2012 issue of the CIPA Journal, the concept of a “poisonous divisional” was raised. In brief, the proposition was that in certain limited circumstances, a European divisional application could be Art. 54(3) (i.e. novelty-only) prior art against a claim in the parent which was not entitled to priority. The proposition has since […]
7th Jun 2013
Patent trolls have become an increasing problem for the US patent system. President Obama is now seeking to take action against them. Background Trolls are organisations which buy up un-used and unexploited patent rights and seek to raise revenue by enforcing them against third parties. Trolls are particularly active in the US, where features of […]
3rd Jun 2013
A recent UK High Court action involving Nestec and Dualit (Nestec SA & Others v Dualit Ltd & Others [2013] EWHC 923 – the “Nestec” case) has caused a stir in the patent world, largely down to a ruling that some of Nestec’s patent claims lacked novelty over their priority document. The Nestec case is […]