25th Feb 2021
The Paris Agreement on climate change entered into force in November 2016, with a goal of limiting global warming to below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius – compared to pre-industrial levels. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), CO2 emissions from aviation in 2019 equated to around 2.8% of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. So, it’s probably no great surprise that there has been much research in recent years on ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the aviation sector.
9th Feb 2021
Wearable technology has become increasingly prevalent in recent times – almost a third of UK consumers now own a fitness band or smartwatch – with adoption of these devices expected to continue to increase in the coming years. This blog take a look at three companies in the wearables industry – Garmin, Suunto, and Fitbit – their patent portfolios, and some of the IP-related challenges they have to face to ensure their products get protected.
30th Oct 2020
There has been a lot of discussion in recent years around how the patent system can be applied to, and indeed may need to be adapted in light of, artificial intelligence and related technologies. Indeed, our previous blogs have covered everything from the basics of AI patentability to whether AI can be designated as an inventor. There are also a number of reports and ongoing reviews into the subject, with most of the attention focused on how the patent system can help AI. However, a report from the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has turned that question around, and asked how AI can help the patent system.
28th Oct 2020
Increasing focus is being directed to developing Li-ion battery technology, particularly in view of the expected surge in uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in the near to short term. It is not hard to imagine a future where battery powered EVs have replaced many, if not all, of the internal combustion engines on our roads. However, a number of concerns arise when looking towards this battery powered future, and highlight the need for robust recycling practices and technologies.
14th Sep 2020
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the idea that any object might be connected to the internet. Such objects could be elementary devices such sensors or actuators. Or they might be ‘smart’ versions of everyday devices, e.g. home appliances, electricity meters, or ‘wearables’. The internet connectivity allows all of these objects to interact either with each other or with servers. In some cases it provides improved functionality for the smart object. In other cases, benefits arise through the use of vast numbers of smart devices, feeding data to and from servers and other devices. Some commentators believe the IoT will totally revolutionise our lives, to the extent that it has been described as the 4th Industrial Revolution.
11th Sep 2020
The Supreme Court decision in Unwired Planet and others ([2020] UKSC 37) represents the culmination of a series of trials, begun in 2014, and involving several key players in the telecommunications industry
24th Jun 2020
In a concerted effort to tackle climate change, countries around the world have proposed to ban conventional petrol and diesel cars within the next few decades, paving the way for an electric vehicle revolution. In our previous blog, The Future Of Automotive Powertrains, we found that in the realm of patents, car manufacturers favour batteries (and lots of them) to power their electric vehicles. In this blog we look at the capabilities and shortcomings of batteries and how fuel cell technology may yet play a part in powering our transport networks.
12th Jun 2020
One of the major problems that faces the emerging electric vehicle (EV) market is the range of electric vehicles. While, due to improvements in battery technology and car design and efficiency, some electric cars now have ranges well over 300 miles, a more comparable level with the range of their internal combustion (IC) cousins, they often come at the cost of, well, a much higher cost than petrol or diesel cars. However, advances recently published in the journal Nature are mapping the route towards a potential solution.