30th Aug 2013
Following a public consultation, as of 1st July 2013 the Japan Patent Office has revised the Patent and Utility Model Examination Guidelines in relation to the “Requirements of Unity of Invention” and the “Amendment that Changes a Special Technical Feature of an Invention”. The revised Examination Guidelines for “Requirements of Unity of Invention” (the Unity […]
23rd Aug 2013
In the recently issued judgment in Hamilton v Sunbeam, the Federal Circuit affirmed a ruling that Hamilton’s claims were invalid under the pre America Invents Act (AIA) on-sale bar at least because there was an offer for sale from a manufacturer to Hamilton more than a year before the filing date of the priority application. […]
20th Aug 2013
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) currently provides a Patent Opinion Service that allows users to request an impartial opinion on whether a patent is valid (specifically whether it is new or inventive) or whether a certain product or activity will infringe a patent. The official fee for requesting an opinion is a mere £200. […]
19th Aug 2013
Mr Justice Birss in the English High Court issued a judgment on 9 July 2013 concerning an unusual “quia timet” injunction to prevent potential infringement by a generic company of a pharmaceutical patent and/or supplementary protection certificate (SPC). The case shows that UK courts may in future be stricter in requiring generic companies to be […]
9th Aug 2013
Up until 16th March 2013, the US had a “first to invent” patent system. This meant that if two inventors independently filed a patent application for the same invention, the inventor who could prove that he or she was the first to invent the idea would be granted the patent. For this reason, the careful […]
2nd Aug 2013
The UK Trade Marks Act provides relief for an aggrieved person in the form of damages and an injunction against groundless threats of proceedings for infringement of a registered trade mark. This is something unique to the UK and must be borne in mind whenever a potential infringement is being considered. Who Can Bring An […]