News
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Claims first, but not alone: EPO clarifies patentability interpretation
18 June 2025Read more >On 18 June 2025, the Enlarged Board of Appeal issued a decision in the case G 1/24. The decision confirms that while claims are the foundation for assessing patentability, the description and drawings must always be consulted—regardless of clarity or ambiguity of the claimed terms. The referral in G 1/24 arose from a dispute over […]
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IP planning is key to protect AI innovations
6 June 2025Read more >This article was written for Digital Forge, a membership-based organisation that runs events in the North of England for investors, entrepreneurs across tech and manufacturing sectors. Learn more about Digital Forge from their website – forgedforgrowth.com Much has been published about the role of AI in innovation, but still relatively little has been said about […]
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How Skilled is ChatGPT?
16 May 2025Read more >Recently, the European Patent Office (EPO) in case T1193/23 concluded that ChatGPT is not a skilled person. This may be unsurprising to followers AI and patent news -, after all, the well-reported 2023 UK Supreme Court DABUS case found that an AI cannot be an inventor because it is not a person. However, the ‘skilled […]
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Lowering the bar for novelty of sub-ranges
15 May 2025Read more >The test for novelty at the European Patent Office (EPO) is centred around the so called “gold standard” whereby a prior art disclosure anticipates a claim if it directly and unambiguously discloses all of the claimed features in combination. However, over the years, a requirement has developed from the case law for evaluating whether a […]
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The G1/24 Referral: What to Expect and Why It Matters
8 May 2025Read more >The Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBoA) of the European Patent Office (EPO) is set to decide on the referral G1/24 from appeal case T439/22. The central issue is whether the description and figures should be utilised to interpret the claims when evaluating patentability. While the referral is primarily concerned with post-grant opposition proceedings, it may […]
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EPO Announces Pilot Program for AI-Assisted Minutes of Oral Proceedings
6 May 2025Read more >The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced a pilot program aimed at enhancing the preparation of minutes of oral proceedings held via videoconference (VC) through the integration of AI transcription tools. Starting in May 2025 and running until the end of the year, selected examining division and opposition division oral proceedings will take part in […]
