24th Dec 2018
The most famous chocolatier of all time, Mr Willy Wonka, chose to protect his chocolate inventions with trade secrets. However, this necessitated the use of an entirely non-human workforce. Modern day chocolate companies, on the other hand, make ample use of the patent system. As it is Christmas, Rose Hughes takes a break from lengthy UK patent decisions to once again indulge in some tasty food tech.
20th Dec 2018
A brief update on IP rights after Brexit.
20th Dec 2018
Second medical use claims are designed to protect substances or compositions for use in new medical treatments. Numerous decisions of the Technical Boards of Appeal of the EPO have confirmed that second medical use claims cannot be used to protect medical devices. However, as is so often the case in patent law, scientific advancements are beginning to blur the technical difference on which the legal distinction between medical devices and substances is based.
17th Dec 2018
The IET reported a claim by researchers based in Australia that 100x faster internet speeds over fibre-optic cables may be possible using optical angular momentum. In an era where so much attention is focussed on wireless data transmission, advances in wired technologies are less prominently reported in the mainstream press.
7th Dec 2018
The EU General Court confirmed a decision of the EUIPO Board of Appeal to cancel an EUTM registration of ALCOLOCK.
3rd Dec 2018
Leeds City Football Club filed to register the figurative marks LCFC and it was opposed by Leicester City Football Club. The UKIPO held that a likelihood of confusion does exist and Leeds’ application was rejected in its entirety.
3rd Dec 2018
The EU Court has held that the term “SPINNING” is generic because it has been used to the extent that it is now a common name for a type of exercise training and the exercise equipment used in this training.