News
EPO referral to the Enlarged Board of Appeal (G2/21) – Post-published evidence of a technical effect
24 March 2023Read more >In 2021, a referral was made to the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) in case T116/18 concerning whether post-published evidence (i.e., information not available until after the filing date of a patent application) can be used to demonstrate a technical effect in the assessment of inventive step. The EBA issued its preliminary opinion in October […]
Brazil joins Hague International Designs System
2 March 2023Read more >Brazil has ratified the Hague Agreement for the International Registration of Industrial Designs. This means that from 1 August 2023 Brazil can be designated in new international design applications under the Hague system. Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America. International design applications allow applicants to submit a single design application to the International […]
Global Trends in Battery Technology: A Patent Perspective
24 February 2023Read more >As the drive towards renewable energy use gains pace, there has been an increase in global patent filings relating to battery technology. While lithium-ion batteries currently dominate the battery market, they have several disadvantages. For instance, the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries requires large quantities of energy and water to extract raw materials.1 The high demand […]
Aldi loses battle with M&S over festive gin
22 February 2023Read more >When Aldi launched a festive gin bottle with a snow globe effect in a light up bottle few could help but draw comparison with the very similar M&S product launched a year earlier. The visual similarity and the price differential between the M&S version and the Aldi version were out of the playbook that is […]
Germany completes the UPC jigsaw
17 February 2023Read more >The start date for the Unified Patent Court (UPC) is now confirmed as 1 June 2023. German ratification of the UPC Agreement occurred today on 17 February 2023. The UPC will allow companies and inventors to enforce their patents in 17 EU countries in a single court action. The court coming into operation will also complete […]
IP funding launched for European SMEs
13 February 2023Read more >The European Commission and the European Union Intellectual Property Office have announced a €60.1 million fund to support EU-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in protecting their intellectual property rights. The “Ideas Powered for business SME Fund” is a grant scheme which will run from 23 January 2023 to 8 December 2023. The fund will […]
