News

The UK will formally leave the EU on 31 January 2020 but under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement agreed between the UK and the EU this will commence a transition period until at least 31 December 2020. There will be no legal effect of Brexit on statutory IP rights until the end of the […]

What are the benefits? When I talk to product or brand designers who haven’t concerned themselves much with Intellectual Property (IP) rights, be it manufacturers of consumer products, or designers themselves, they quite rightly want to know why it’s worth spending the money to get rights registered. Some designers consider IP purely a client problem, […]

The UK Supreme Court has handed down their judgement in Shanks v Unilever [2019] UKSC 45 (found here)  in which they considered the issue of employee compensation, and under what circumstances would an employee be entitled to further compensation for an invention they had invented as part of their normal duties. The decision of the […]

A recent case (T1003/19) has highlighted what can go wrong at the grant stage of a European patent, but gives hope for applicants that have not checked the text intended for grant as closely as they might have done. The decision by the Board of Appeal essentially found that if there is enough evidence that […]

Withers & Rogers Diversity & Inclusion group has been shortlisted for HR / Wellbeing Team of the Year at the inaugural This Can Happen Awards 2019. In its first year, the This Can Happen Awards celebrates and recognises companies and individuals from across all sectors, who have shown excellence in their approach towards positive mental […]

Anyone involved with patent prosecution will know that deadlines are an everyday fact of life.  Missing a time limit set by the European Patent Office (EPO) can result in a loss of rights, which can be irreversible. This article discusses a decision by the EPO Board of Appeal on a case where a deadline was […]