29th Oct 2014
Given the commercial and legal context of patents, it can be surprisingly easy to overlook the potential significance of the scientific developments that underpin them. However, October’s announcement of this year’s Nobel Prize winners show just how important they can be. As the European Patent Office (EPO) are very pleased to point out on their […]
24th Oct 2014
Since 2005, the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has provided a patent opinion service. For a £200 fee, anyone can request an opinion on whether a UK patent (including a European patent (UK)) is valid or whether a certain product or activity will infringe a UK patent. Although the opinion is non-binding, it has provided […]
15th Oct 2014
Is IP an integral part of your business plan? In a recent edition of the UK Science Park Association magazine Innovation into Success, Jan Vleck and William Ponder explain why it is important that businesses utilise their IP. Click here to read the full article.
14th Oct 2014
Research Councils UK (RCUK), the partnership of organisations that collectively fund £3 billion of research expenditure per year in the UK, have recently revised their policy towards academic publishing and now require all new research publications to be ‘open access’. In some fields this has signalled a radical move away from the traditional model of […]
8th Oct 2014
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has just published an updated report which attempts to estimate the UK’s investment in intangible assets and intellectual property rights (IPR). Of particular interest: the report attempts to answer the question “What proportion of UK knowledge investment is protected by formal IPRs?” Apparently, approximately 48% is protected by […]
3rd Oct 2014
In July this year the European Patent Office announced a new scheme to improve legal certainty on pending patent applications, published here. The scheme essentially boils down to the EPO prioritising the processing of certain types of application. All Search Reports Within Six Months Of EP Filing Under the scheme, which is being called the […]