IP, Industry and Case Law

Published on 19 March 2018, the legal text of the draft Withdrawal Agreement sets out the terms upon which UK and EU negotiators have reached a settlement, subject to minor technical legal revisions. In particular, the text provides some clarity on the extended protection of European Union trade mark registrations (EUTMs) (including International Registrations designating […]

Cosmetics and personal care brands are increasingly selecting short, snappy and simplistic trade marks to capture consumers’ attention in a saturated market. The digital age continually presents new challenges, prompting brands to shift their focus from traditional over-the-shelf transactions to the multi-dimensional online realm in which endorsements by social media influencers and hashtag led marketing […]

– 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 […]

According to market research, the global cosmetics industry is forecast to be worth $675 billion by 2020. However, the trend for bloggers and social media influencers to actively encourage consumers to buy cheap copies of higher-end products known as “dupes” has made creating and maintaining a strong, cosmetics brand particularly challenging.  Dupes tend to have […]

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 […]

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 […]

Through the ability of Artifical Intelligence, the health care sector can find solutions to effective treatment to cure diseases.   Partner, Adrian Tombling explores why AI is huge for drug research and what impact this could have on the pharmaceutical industry. As AI is created by a computer, it does raise the question, who owns […]

A unanimous decision by the Supreme Court is being hailed as a relief for innovators in the pharmaceutical sector, and confirms that novel and inventive dosage regimes are patentable. Tadalafil (Cialis) is a second in class PDE5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. This use of tadalafil was first disclosed in EP 0839040 (the […]

The eagerly awaited Supreme Court judgment in the Warner-Lambert V Generics (UK) and Actavis case has recently been issued (see here), a full nine months after the hearing in February 2018. This is the final step in a saga which has been ongoing for years, and which is of huge importance to the pharmaceutical industry. […]

In a recent decision by the Court of Appeal, Judge Lord Kitchin applied the principles of Actavis vs Eli Lilly (Actavis) to rule upon a patent infringement dispute in Icescape v Ice-World (see here). As previously reported, the landmark Actavis judgement was a 2017 decision from the Supreme Court that essentially changed the decades-old understanding […]

Court of Appeal gives verdict on long running Unwired Planet v Huawei dispute For several years litigation has been rumbling on between Unwired Planet and Huawei regarding Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) held by Unwired Planet. For the uninitiated, SEPs are patents that must be used to comply with an industry standard, and are common in […]

Why should you consider patent protection for your Blockchain technology? Partner, Philip Horler explains the role of Blockchain in anti-counterfeiting and the benefits of protecting the technology.  Philip Horler Electronics, Computing & Physics group If you require further information on anything covered in this briefing, please contact Philip Horler (phorler@withersrogers.com; +44 207 940 3600) […]

On 24 September 2018, the UK government released guidance on the impact of a no-deal Brexit on EU trade marks. The guidance has not yet been enacted as legislation; and its sole aim is to clarify the UK’s intended actions should we encounter a no-deal Brexit, resulting in the UK leaving the European Union on […]

Many inventions require their features to be defined in terms of a numerical range. For example, a manufacturing process may be operable over a range of temperatures, or a material composition may be produced using components combined in a range of proportions. A patent application usually provides one or more examples of the working invention […]

A recent decision of the Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court ruling in an ongoing dispute between GSK and Vectura Limited has once again brought the validity of Arrow declarations to the forefront of UK patent law. An Arrow declaration provides commercial certainty or freedom to operate surrounding the marketing of a product […]

Canada has ratified the Hague Agreement for the International Registration of Industrial Designs. Canada can be designated in new Hague design filings from 5 November 2018. The Hague Agreement enables applicants to seek protection of registered designs/design patents in 69 territories (that includes all European Union member states, USA, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the […]

On 7 June 2018 in the case of Scotch Whisky Association v Michael Klotz[1], the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) was asked to determine whether use of the term “Glen” by Michael Klotz, a producer of a German whisky called “Glen Buchenbach”, indirectly and unlawfully infringed the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Scotch […]

The UK Government published its white paper regarding “The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union” (found here). This provides the strongest indication yet that the UK Government will act to stay a part of the Unitary Patent Package (UPP) after Brexit. The UK Government had already stated that it is planning […]

Further to the news of the ratification of the Hague Agreement by the UK on 13 March this year, the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) has published the following declarations with further information for applicants wishing to register their designs in the UK and abroad in a single application: –  International registered design applications designating […]

Sam Gyimah MP, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, announced yesterday (26 April 2018) that the UK has ratified the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA). The announcement came during Mr Gyimah’s speech at the IPAN World IP Day event held in the House of Commons. Mr Gyimah said “Ratification of […]

For a product to qualify for SPC protection, the product must be “protected” by a basic patent in force.  The CJEU has previously stated that “protected” means something more than simply falling within the granted claim scope.  In a referral from the High Court of England and Wales in Teva v Gilead (C-121/17), Mr Justice […]

The Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) has elected Tania Clark, partner in Withers & Rogers’ Trade Mark group, as its new President. Tania commenced her two-year term on 10 April 2018.

Earlier this year, the European Patent Office (EPO) published a decision allowing a petition for review (see R4/17), bringing the grand total of allowed petitions to eight, out of a total of 151 filed. As is evident from this small total, the petitioner rarely triumphs. In brief, a petition for review is a formal request […]

One of the requirements for obtaining SPC protection for a product is that the product must be subject to a marketing authorisation and the product must also be “protected” by a patent.  The CJEU ruled that the meaning of “protected” is narrower than simply infringing the claim, without saying where exactly the boundary between protected […]

Following a Decision of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (found here), it is now possible to pay the third year renewal fee for European patent (EP) applications up to six months in advance of the due date. Previously, with regard to all renewal fees due for an EP application, it was only […]

In June 2017, the European Patent Office (EPO) announced a freeze on inflation-based official fee increases for 2018. Instead, the EPO will selectively adjust certain official fees, effective from 1 April 2018. These fee adjustments, summarised below, relate to the handling of PCT applications, online filings and appeal fees. International (PCT) applications where the EPO […]

Introduction Artificial intelligence (AI) is an interdisciplinary field of computer science with the goal of enabling machines to behave and reason in an intelligent manner.  Early approaches to AI centred on rule-based systems.  Such systems were configured to operate within highly constrained environments where the behaviour of the AI system was specified beforehand using formal […]

The UK has now ratified the Hague Agreement for the International Registration of Industrial Designs.  This means that from 13 June 2018 the UK can be designated in new international design applications under the Hague system. International design applications allow applicants to submit a single design application to the International Bureau of the World Intellectual […]

Following the UK IPO’s consultation[1] on patent fees, the UK IPO has decided to go ahead with a number of changes[2] to the fees for applying for patent protection and renewing granted patents. These changes include both increases to current fees, and the introduction of new fees. These changes will come into effect on 6 […]

This week saw the first decision from the EPO Opposition Division related to the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology.  The patent in question, EP2771468, which was granted to the Broad Institute, MIT and Harvard University was revoked after the filing of nine oppositions. The PCT application from which EP2771468 derived was filed naming Broad, MIT and […]

The Russian Federation has ratified the Hague Agreement for the International Registration of Industrial Designs. Russia can be designated in new Hague design filings from 28 February 2018. The Hague Agreement enables applicants to seek protection of registered designs/design patents in 67 territories (that includes all European Union member states, USA, South Korea and Japan) […]

A decision by the EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal has been published with respect to some questions raised in relation to undisclosed disclaimers.  Undisclosed disclaimers are a common means of amending a claim to exclude subject that: a) is disclosed in an earlier patent document under Article 54(3) EPC; b) represents an accidental anticipation in […]

On 5 December 2017 the European Commission together with the European Union Intellectual Property Office published a notice regarding the effect of Brexit on EU trade marks and community designs. The notice confirms that as of the date of withdrawal of the UK from the EU (expected to be 29 March 2019) and subject to […]

Earlier this year the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Professor Ian Alexander Shanks (Shanks) against an earlier dismissal of his appeal against the decision of Hearing Officer, Mr Julyan Elbro, dismissing his claim for employee compensation in favour of the defendants Unilever PLC, Unilever NV and Unilever UK Central Resources Limited (Unilever). The […]

At first glance, it seems straightforward to assign intellectual property rights from one entity to another.  A recent decision by the EPO’s Board of Appeal in T1201/14 (see here) shows that it can, and relatively often does, go wrong. According to European jurisprudence it is generally accepted that the right to claim priority arising from […]

Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) (as provided under EU Regulation (EC) No. 469/2009) are intended to compensate patent proprietors for any potential loss of exclusivity due to the long regulatory approval procedures required to get new drugs onto the market. To this end SPCs can provide up to five years of patent term extension in relation […]

On 1 November 2017, the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling against The London Taxi Corporation Ltd (“LTC”) in favour of defendants Frazer-Nash Research Limited (“FRN”) and Ecotive Limited (“Ecotive”). LTC had argued that their UK and EU registered trade marks, which depict models of its taxis, were being infringed by FRN and Ecotive’s model […]

In July 2017 the Supreme Court judgment in the Actavis v Eli Lilly case (“Actavis”) changed the way we will assess the scope of patent claims in the UK (see here for an overview).  The Actavis judgment did not touch on whether the change to the way that scope of claims is determined for the […]

The Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Act 2017 came into force on 1 October 2017. The new law comes as the result of a consultation process triggered by the Law Commission in April 2013. UK law provides for protection against groundless threats of infringement proceedings by the holder of a patent, trade mark, unregistered design right […]

Under the UK Trade Marks Act 1994, a certification mark is defined in Section 50(1) as: “a mark indicating that the goods or services in connection with which it is used are certified by the proprietor of the mark in respect of origin, material, mode of manufacture of goods or performance of services, quality, accuracy […]

Webmarking Since 1 October 2014, patent holders have been able to better protect their patents through webmarks, a system whereby patent holders use a web address to mark their patented products instead of patent numbers. This system benefits patent holders as it removes the difficulties associated with having to include the patent number on every […]

On 7 September, the European Commission released their position paper on the treatment of all intellectual property (IP) rights post Brexit. IP rights include EU trade marks, registered and unregistered community designs, geographical indications and community plant variety rights. The Commission’s guiding principle is that the protection of unitary rights enjoyed in the United Kingdom […]

On Thursday 24 August, Lithuania ratified the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA), bringing the total number of ratifications to fourteen. As it stands, applicants will be able to protect their inventions in at least 16 countries (the existing 14 plus UK and Germany) with a single Unitary Patent (UP) when the system is […]

Inventors and applicants are often surprised to learn that the European Patent Convention (EPC) does not formally require a patent application to include experimental data. However, it has long been understood that any technical effect of an invention can only be relied upon to support an inventive step to the extent that the application as […]

Estonia has ratified the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA). Estonia’s ratification means that the geographical protection provided by the Unitary Patent (UP) upon implementation will cover to at least 15 countries. The complete list of countries to have ratified the UPCA can be found here but must also include the UK and Germany […]

The long running patent dispute between Actavis and Eli Lilly (Lilly) has now reached its zenith, with the UK Supreme Court decision issued 12th July (see here).  The Supreme Court allowed Lilly’s appeal and held that Actavis’ products directly infringe Eli Lilly’s patent in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain.  This momentous decision has […]

The UK has set in motion the legislative process to remove the final legal impediment to ratification of the UPCA. The UKIPO has confirmed today that the Unified Patent Court (UPC) related Statutory Instrument (the “Order on Privileges and Immunities”) has been laid before Parliament, alongside equivalent legislation for Scotland being scheduled for discussion in […]

Victoria Plum Ltd v Victorian Plumbing Ltd [2016] EWHC 2911 was a trade mark case in which the issues of keyword advertising and honest concurrent use were intertwined.  The case highlights the fact that the ‘honesty’ of trade mark use can differ between the online and offline environments. The case also saw a successful counterclaim for […]

Please note: This High Court decision has been overturned and referred to the CJEU. Click here to read our latest update. In good news for pharmaceutical patent owners, the England and Wales High Court has confirmed here that an SPC is allowable for a compound that is not specifically identified in a patent but (a) […]

Tania Clark, partner and trade mark attorney said: “This decision is a blow for Nestle and its attempt to register a trade mark for the four-fingered shape of its KitKat chocolate bar, which began in 2010, has been rejected by the Court of Appeal. “The Court of Appeal’s decision means rival manufacturers such as Cadbury […]

It has been announced that the UK intends to ratify the Hague Agreement for the International Registration of Industrial Designs by 31st March 2018 and will be in a position to launch the service on 6th April 2018. The Hague Agreement enables applicants to seek protection of registered designs/design patents in over 66 territories through a […]

The UK High Court holds that there can only be one set of licencing terms that are fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) for a given situation, FRAND royalties should be based on a common portfolio benchmark rate for all licensees, and in this case a licence restricted to one jurisdiction is not FRAND. It is […]

On Friday 10 February 2017, Italy became the latest country to ratify the UPCA, bringing the total number of ratifications to twelve. As ten other non-mandatory countries, plus France, have already ratified the Agreement (listed here), the ratification of Italy was not required to initiate the UPC. However, with Italy being the fourth largest economy […]

Following UK Prime Minister, Theresa May’s speech of 17 January 2017 and subsequent comments, we now have greater clarity regarding the “bespoke” nature of the UK’s leaving of the European Union. There is no doubt, following her speech, that the intent of the UK executive government is that the UK will no longer be a […]

An official statement from the Unified Patent Court (UPC) website, published today (found here), has outlined a rough timetable for the UPC becoming operational. If all continues as expected, the Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPCA) and the Court itself should be up and running in December 2017. This would mean that the ‘Unitary […]

The use of numerical ranges and values to accurately describe the amount of ingredients present in a composition or formulation is a widely used approach in patent specifications, especially in the field of pharmaceuticals and formulation chemistry.  Patentees need to clearly define the limits of various active ingredients, excipients and the like in order to […]

The UK’s Patent Box came into effect on 1 April 2013. Under the scheme UK companies are able to pay a reduced rate of Corporation Tax on certain profits derived from patented technology. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) published its first report¹ on the uptake of the scheme on 14 September 2016, and that report […]

In frustrating news for the biotech industry, we can report that the European Patent Office (EPO) has decided to suspend all examination and opposition proceedings for inventions concerning plants/animals that are obtained by means of essentially biological processes.  This follows a recent non-binding Notice from the European Commission (EC) regarding the interpretation of certain aspects […]

On 10 November 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decided that the famous Rubik’s Cube could not be a registered trade mark. This marks the end of a ten year tussle over the registrability of one of the world’s best-selling toys of all time. The trade mark in question is Seven […]

The Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBoA) of the European Patent Office (EPO) has today indicated in case G1/15 that the so-called issue of “poisonous divisionals” has been put to rest.  The background context to this is that there had been concerns that it might be legally possible for a divisional patent application to be held […]

At the EU competitiveness council meeting today the UK Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, indicated that the UK will ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement (see official press release here). UPC specialist and W&R Partner Russell Barton said: “We, at Withers & Rogers, are delighted the UK government has chosen […]

The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA), the organisation, which represents the interests of the trade mark and design profession will be changing its name with effect from Thursday 24 November. Going forward the organisation will be known as The Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) following the grant of a Royal Charter back […]

In most jurisdictions a patent will not be granted until it has been examined and approved by the relevant patent office. This examination process is referred to as ‘patent prosecution’ and often entails multiple rounds of Examination Reports issued by the patent office and ‘responses’ filed on behalf of the patent applicant. Consequently, the patent […]

The contribution made by IP-led industries to the European economy has increased according to a second EU-wide study published by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The study has revealed that industries described as ‘IPR-intensive’ – those that file a high number of Community Trade Marks, Registered Design […]

When it comes to amending the scope of protection of your claims, the European Patent Office applies very strict requirements that any new scope of protection sought must have already been directly and unambiguously disclosed somewhere in the application as filed. There is one exception to this rule, undisclosed disclaimers.  They are ‘undisclosed’ because the […]

As of 1 July 2016, the European Patent Office (EPO) is aiming to increase the speed with which opposition proceedings are brought to a conclusion and thereby improve legal certainty for all parties concerned. The opposition procedure allows any person to centrally challenge the validity of a European patent within nine months of its grant […]

Earlier this month, the World Intellectual Property Office announced the addition of a new patent searching tool, which will allow users to locate International patent applications based on chemical structures.  Whilst perhaps not of interest to many, this facility has the potential to revolutionise the searching of chemical subject matter. Making it an exciting addition […]

The Patent Box scheme was introduced by the UK Government in April 2013 to allow UK companies to pay less Corporation Tax on profits generated from the sale of patented products and from the use of patented processes and machinery. Shortly after its introduction, the scheme faced criticism from foreign governments.  This led to a […]

What is changing? The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) is introducing a package of changes to the Patents Rules. The Patents Rules 2007, together with the Patents Act 1977, govern the patent system in the UK. The Rules set out the procedural and administrative requirements which apply to patents and patent applications. None of […]

The UK’s Patent Box regime came into force on 1 April 2013, through which companies are able to pay a reduced rate of UK Corporation Tax on profits derived from patented technology. More than three years after its introduction, HM Revenue & Customs have, for the first time, published a report on the uptake of […]

The legal position, that it is possible for the UK to remain in the UPC and UP has already been widely supported as reported here. This view already included support from CIPA (the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys) and now has further heavyweight backing from a newly published Counsel’s opinion. CIPA, the IP Federation and […]

The Netherlands recently became the eleventh country to ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement. This marks a key point in the implementation of the UPC, as now only the mandatory ratification by Germany and the UK is necessary to bring the UPC Agreement into force. Prior to the recent EU Referendum, the UK was expected […]

From 1 October 2016 the UK IPO fee structure for registering designs in the UK will change. For many years applicants have had the option of filing one or several designs within a single application but the cost of filing lots of designs to protect various aspects of a product has been prohibitive for many, […]

Withers & Rogers Chairman Karl Barnfather was delighted to moderate the opening panel session, on the Implications of Brexit and the UPC, to the MIP European Patent Reform Forum in Munich on Tuesday 6 September 2016.   On the panel was Margot Fröhlinger of the European Patent Office and Professor Tilmann of the University of Heidelberg. […]

T-518/13 Future Enterprises v EUIPO Can ownership of a family of trade marks help to prove infringement? According to the EU’s General Court, the answer is yes. In this case, McDonald’s were able to invalidate a third party’s registration for MACCOFFEE. The Court held that where a party owned a set of earlier registrations, all […]

The Court of Appeal has handed down its decision in Cartier International and Others vs BSkyB and Others [2016] EWCA Civ 658 and has upheld the High Court’s decision. Our earlier report of the High Court decision can be found here. High Court Summary The Claimants (Cartier, Mont Blanc and Richemont) own trade mark registrations for […]

With the implementation of the Intellectual Property Act 2014, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) received increased powers with respect to its Opinion Service. Thirty months later, we have delved into the cases that have been heard to look at the effect the revamp has had. It serves as a timely reminder of a […]

Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) provide valuable patent term extensions that compensate both the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries for the delays suffered in bringing their products to market as a result of complex regulatory processes. Despite sometimes requiring similar levels of regulation to pharmaceutical products, medical devices are still not entitled to SPC protection. Whilst this […]

British American Tobacco & others v Department of Health [2016] EWHC 1169 This case concerns the introduction of plain packaging legislation for tobacco products in the United Kingdom.  The decision was handed down on 19 May ahead of the introduction of the Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 (“the Regulations”) on 20 May, the UK’s […]

On 3 June 2016, Bulgaria became the tenth country to ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement by depositing its instrument of ratification. This now leaves the UK, Germany and one other country to ratify before the Agreement takes effect. Please see our updated UP and UPC pages for the latest information.   James Mitchell Electronics, […]

Stretchline Intellectual Properties Ltd v H&M Hennes & Mauritz UK Ltd [2016] EWHC 162 (Pat), 21 January 2016 Following a long running dispute involving Stretchline’s patent for a tubular fabric composition, this recent High Court decision explores remedies that are available for alleged infringement following a settlement. This decision provides useful guidance on the finality […]

A “RAW” Deal for H&M in Trade Mark Infringement Decision? Hague Court of Appeal March 2016 Case Comment The Hague Court of Appeal has found H&M liable for infringement of G-Star Raw’s trade marks in the word RAW. In 2011, G-Star Raw (“G-Star”) brought trade mark infringement proceedings against H&M, the Swedish fashion company, after […]

In the UK, deciding whether or not an invention belongs to an employee or an employer is governed the UK Patents Act 1977. Whilst it can be generally assumed that an invention which is produced during the course of normal duties of the employee belongs to the employer, it is interesting to consider how the […]

A recent High Court decision explains the tests for obviousness and insufficiency resulting from a “clearing the way” action brought by Actavis against Eli Lilly (Lilly).  Actavis intended to invalidate Lilly’s patent on the basis of a lack of inventive step and insufficiency. Lilly’s patent relates to the second medical use of atomoxetine in the […]

The recruitment process for selecting the first group of UPC judges is now open. Candidates may apply to become a full-time or part-time judge until the closing date of 4 July 2016. Information on the selection process can be found here. The opening of the selection process marks a major step in the implementation of […]

With effect from Wednesday 23rd March there will be a number of name changes implemented in relation to Intellectual Property organisations and rights. ·    The Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) will be known as the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). ·    Community Trade Marks (CTM’s) will change to EU Trade Marks. […]

PMS International Group Plc (Respondent) v Magmatic Limited (Appellant)  [2016] UKSC 12 This case came before the Supreme Court following earlier proceedings at the High Court and Court of Appeal. Two designs were at issue (pictured, left to right): the ‘Trunki’, Magmatic’s Registered Community Design (RCD), and the Kiddee Case by PMS, in various iterations, […]

Case C-396/15 P Shoe Branding Europe BVBA v Adidas AG European Court of Justice, 17 February 2016 The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has upheld a decision of the General Court allowing Adidas to oppose the registration of a trade mark consisting of two parallel stripes placed on the side of footwear. Shoe Branding Europe, […]

The UPC Preparatory Committee has today announced the finalised court fees, including some notable changes. Now that much of the procedure for opting out of the UPC has been finalised, the committee has recognised that the administrative burden involved in processing a request to opt out would not be as complex as first anticipated.  As […]

The UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron recently announced that a referendum will be held on 23 June 2016 to decide whether the UK will remain a member of the European Union. It is widely expected that the UK will vote to remain in the EU, but we are happy to confirm that, regardless of the […]

Claim language remains all important in determining the scope of protection of a granted patent. Whilst the disclosure of the patent as a whole should be considered in order to understand a claimed invention, it is the specific language that is used in the claims that sets out the scope of the protection. In the […]

On 19 January 2016, Finland deposited its instrument of ratification, becoming the ninth country to ratify the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Agreement. This means that only four more countries, including the UK and Germany, are required to ratify the Agreement before it takes effect. Please see our updated UP and UPC pages for the latest […]

The European Council has published news of impending changes to the Community Trade Mark Regulation and a new Trade Mark Directive, most of which will come into effect in March 2016. The changes do away with some of the idiosyncrasies which have made European trade mark law less accessible to the non-professional public. Most saliently, […]

It has been common drafting practice to include both pre-EPC 2000 Swiss-type claims and post-EPC 2000 purpose-limited second medical use claims in the same patent application.  Once again, whether this is allowable or not, has been considered by the EPO Boards of Appeal. At the start of last year we reported to you that the […]

Patent Box is a UK tax scheme whereby UK companies pay a reduced rate of corporation tax on profits generated from patented technology.  Shortly after the scheme came into effect in April 2013 it came under attack from foreign governments and this led to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issuing its requirements […]

Our latest IP Review is now available online here: www.withersrogers.com/ebrochure/ip-review/autumn-2015/ In this issue we report on some interesting developments, including a wave of altruism that has swept over some of the world’s best known companies in recent times, changes in US practice that affect the patentability of biodiagnostics, and recent developments in China to strengthen its […]

A government consultation opened on 22 October on the Patent Box Scheme and will run until December 4 2015. The aim is to ensure that the UK’s tax regimes comply with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) recommendations. According to patent attorney, Michael Jaeger: “The launch of the consultation is welcome news as […]

On Thursday 1 October 2015, seven EU Member States, including the UK, France and Germany, signed the Protocol to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPC) on provisional application. This Protocol allows for the implementing of IT systems and recruitment of judges as well as other key provisions which must be completed before the […]

The European Commission confirmed on 30 September 2015 that Italy has become the 26th state to join the enhanced cooperation of the Unitary Patent protection. Given Italy’s previous reluctance to join, including pursuing a legal challenge against the Unitary Patent, this is a major success for the future of the Unitary Patent and the Unified […]