Contents
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Is this your patent, sir?
Looking at the importance of
ensuring that you own patent
rights.
IP review
spring
2017
Welcome to the Spring
2017 edition of IP Review
Since the inception of the European patent system
there has been a desire for a single patent right
covering the whole of Europe, and a court with the
power to enforce such patents.
And now, finally, after 40 years
of trying, it looks like that desire
is about to be realised; the UK’s
announcement in November that it
will ratify the relevant agreements
has paved the way for the Unified
Patent Court and the Unitary Patent
to come into effect this winter. Our
main article this issue explains the
new system and its benefits and
disadvantages, and we look at one
industry which might be an early
beneficiary.
Elsewhere in this issue we look at
the crucial but often overlooked
question of patent ownership. This
is one of the many issues which
exercises those with responsibility
for management of Intellectual
Property and IP strategy within
organisations, and we argue that, as
IP becomes increasingly important to
businesses of all sizes, all businesses
should consider appointing a
Chief IP Officer.
We’ve also examined new figures that
suggest that the UK lags behind other
major economies in terms of the
number of patents filed per capita,
and the possible reasons for this.
Finally, we’ve looked at some
interesting recent trade mark
decisions. The Rubik’s Cube decision
in particular will concern those who
rely on 3D trade marks to protect
functional products.
We hope you enjoy this issue.
Matthew Howell
Editor
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