Services
Our services are centred around intellectual property that can be registered. We protect innovation, design, and branding across all sectors of industry, and at all stages in the supply chain.
For each IP right we offer services covering strategic advice, pre-registration searches, registrations and renewals, oppositions and dispute resolution. We handle work throughout the world, working with local colleagues in over 100 countries.
Services
Sectors
Our attorneys specialise in one or more sectors of industry, which enables them to provide quality advice with a commercial focus.
Our patent specialists have detailed understanding of the background technology, which ensures that your patent applications are prepared with the correct scope, reducing the likelihood of challenges from third parties and objections from the patent office.
They also advise whether other forms of protection would be more appropriate. Our brand specialists work with brand managers for leading brands and their advice is commercially focussed making sure that you get the best value from your budget.
Sectors
Following the oral proceedings that took place two weeks’ ago, the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal has today (16 July 2021) given its answer to the referred question in case G1/21 – whether oral proceedings can be held by video conference without the consent of the parties.
Oral proceedings in case G1/21 took place today (2 July 2021) for the second time in case, after proceedings were adjourned at the first oral proceedings that took place last month. While we don’t know what the outcome of the oral proceedings will be, the proceedings were at least properly concluded and we can expect the written decision in due course.
In their recent decision (T1839/18), the boards of appeal re-affirmed the legality of straw man oppositions. Although this in itself is not news, we felt it offered a good opportunity to look again at the many advantages of anonymously opposing a European patent.
Revisions to the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal (RPBA) came into force on 1st January 2020. The EPO’s stated aims are to increase efficiency, predictability for the parties concerned and harmonisation in the way appeals are handled by the Boards of Appeal. Additionally, the revised RPBA introduce changes to the way cases are managed to allow the Boards of Appeal to organise their resources appropriately.