29th Jun 2016
The European Patent Office has announced that from 1st July 2016, the (first instance) opposition procedure will be streamlined such that, in “straightforward” cases, the decision will be issued 15 months from the deadline for filing a notice of opposition, (in other words within 24 months from grant of the patent). EPO Opposition proceedings have […]
27th Jun 2016
Plausibility is a concept that has become prominent in an increasing number of UK patent decisions. Plausibility now crops up in connection with novelty, inventive step, sufficiency, entitlement to priority and industrial applicability. Additionally, plausibility is particularly relevant to medical use patents, and with increasing numbers of these being litigated, the concept is ever more […]
24th Jun 2016
On 23 June the UK voted to leave the EU. Brexit, as it is known, will have a profound effect on many aspects of our lives as IP practitioners. Today we attempt to answer some of the more pressing questions and to explain what the process involves and how it may affect our clients. For […]
22nd Jun 2016
A recent trade mark decision by a Hearing Officer of the UK IPO highlights the following issues: The importance of understanding and abiding by the specific rules applying to fast-track oppositions and; Whether or not there is in fact a likelihood of actual confusion in the marketplace may be irrelevant to the outcome of opposition […]
16th Jun 2016
The US National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) has recently taken a step which may assist innovation in the commercial sector. NASA is responsible for the US space programme and aeronautic and aerospace research, but NASA’s technology can regularly be seen on Earth. Baby formula and portable cordless vacuum cleaners are two examples of such […]
14th Jun 2016
Our client, Dr Helen Lee from Diagnostics for the Real World has recently won the European Inventor Award 2016 in the Popular Prize category which is organised by the European Patent Office (EPO). Cambridge university researcher Dr Lee (and team) worked on an invention which is an instant blood diagnostic kit developed for resource-poor regions […]
13th Jun 2016
Following on from last month’s blog about the upward trend in the sales and number of patents granted for alternative powered vehicles, patenting activity for the automotive sector as a whole also appears to be on the up, according to the Thomson Reuters annual “State of Innovation Report”, published recently. The Thomson Reuters report summarises […]