The UK has a reputation for litigation to be extremely expensive, lengthy and complicated. As a result, many companies have chosen to litigate their patents in Germany, where it is perceived that litigation is cheaper and quicker. This article aims to demonstrate that patent litigation in the UK can be just as inexpensive as it […]
On 1 November 2013, the High Court of England and Wales issued its decision in the case of JW Spear & Sons Ltd & Mattel. Inc. v Zynga, Inc [2013] EWHC 3348 (Ch). The High Court decided that Zynga’s online game, SCRAMBLE WITH FRIENDS, does not infringe Mattel’s rights in its famous SCRABBLE mark, except […]
This case concerned Apotex’s generic version of Sanofi-Aventis’ leflunomide drug, ARAVA®. Sanofi-Aventis obtained a patent which claims: “A method of preventing or treating a skin disorder, wherein the skin disorder is psoriasis, which comprises administering to a recipient an effective amount of [leflunomide]”. Leflunomide is used in Australia to treat psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, […]
In the recent case of IPCom GmbH & Co Ltd v HTC Europe Ltd and others [2013] EWCA Civ 1496, the Court of Appeal upheld a decision to refuse a request to stay proceedings in light of pending opposition proceedings before the EPO. The length of time typical opposition proceedings may remain pending was thought […]
On 28th February 2014, Magmatic, the company behind the Trunki ride-on suitcase which was made famous by the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, suffered a major setback when the Court of Appeal handed down its decision in Magmatic Ltd v PMS International Ltd . The Court of Appeal reversed the first instance decision of Arnold J, finding […]
A recent far-reaching decision of a Technical Board of Appeal of the EPO (T2003/08) reviewed: (i) whether means for achieving a therapeutic effect can be protected by a Swiss-style second medical use claim; (ii) whether witnesses should be heard if they attend a hearing having not first confirmed receipt of a summons from the EPO; […]
In 2012, we commented on the impact of the decision of the General Court in Environmental Manufacturing LLP v OHIM & Société Elmar Wolf . This decision was subsequently appealed to the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”), which made its decision on the merits of the appeal on 14 November 2013 (Case […]
Withers & Rogers LLP is once again sponsoring the annual Nordic IPR Forum. The event will run from 25 to 27 March and will be held at The Brewery Conference Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. Now in its 11th year, the Nordic IPR Forum is the longest running intellectual property rights event in Scandinavia and aims […]
Withers & Rogers LLP is once again sponsoring the annual Nordic IPR Forum. The event will run from 25 to 27 March and will be held at The Brewery Conference Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. Now in its 11th year, the Nordic IPR Forum is the longest running intellectual property rights event in Scandinavia and aims […]
The US Supreme Court recently announced that it will consider the case of Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International in what is hoped to be a landmark case which would provide a definitive answer to whether or not an abstract idea or business method is patentable in the US. In 2010 the Supreme Court in […]
The contribution made by IP-led industries to the European economy has been quantified for the first time in a report published by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM). The report has revealed that industries described as ‘IPR-intensive’ – those that file a high number of Community […]