Category Archives: News

The Court of Appeal has now reached a decision on the Trunkie litigation.  The Trunkie is a suitcase in the form of a novelty animal which allows for the user (child) to ride on it, while no doubt the user’s … Continue reading →

Viewed as a critical factor in determining the success of the Unified Patent Court, practitioners and users of the patent system have been eagerly awaiting word on the level at which renewal fees will be set. Too high and potential … Continue reading →

The BBC News has a nice piece on “mash-ups” the creation of new works by use of the works of others. This will be permitted under the parody exception providing the court finds it is a parody and does not … Continue reading →

The changes for UK copyright exceptions have now been passed by the UK Parliament. They came into force on October 1st . https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-copyright-exception

We are delighted to announce that Maschio Soames founder and director Dr. Candi Soames will be presenting a keynote speech on IP at the Annual European Antibody Congress in November 2014.  The three day conference is now a landmark event … Continue reading →

Trade marks create a link between a consumer and the proprietor of the mark.  Where a trade mark is sufficiently distinctive it may be registered.  It is great fun walking through shopping centres spotting the various marks.  Most readily evident … Continue reading →

Today we hear of the passing of the materials chemist Stephanie Kwolek, responsible for discovering the high-strength low-weight fibre commonly known by its trademark name Kevlar.After living through World War Two, Stephanie was hired by DuPont, and reportedly kept quiet … Continue reading →

Time flies and is fast running out for voting on the 2014 Longitude Prize.The first Longitude prize was offered by the British Government in 1714 for the solution of the seemingly intractable problem of determining a ship’s longitude at sea. The … Continue reading →

Researchers at the University of Leeds claim to have created a novel composition that can stimulate the body’s natural ability to repair tooth enamel.The Swiss company Credentis was founded and granted an exclusive licence to develop the technology into a … Continue reading →

The EPO has announced an amendment of the provisions of the European Patent Convention dealing with the requirements for the filing of divisional applications, namely Rules 36, 38, and 135 EPC.The decision enters into force on 1. April 2014 and … Continue reading →

The EPO has indicated that amended Rule 164 EPC will come into force on 1.11.2014. The draft amended Rule gives an opportunity to pay further search fees on a PCT-derived application during the European regional phase; this will be useful … Continue reading →

IP5 offices agree on joint PPH pilot programme

Austria Becomes First Country To Ratify The Agreement On Establishing The Unified Patent Court (UPC)

The EPO has announced that the number of patent filings at the EPO from the 38 EPO member states has reached a new peak in 2012.  Last year, the EPO received a total of 257 744 patent filings from all … Continue reading →

In 2010 the EPO introduced rules relating to 24-month time limits for the filing of divisional applications.  This was the EPO’s attempt to avoid divisional applications being used prolong the pendency of patent applications before the EPO.  The rule changes have attracted wide … Continue reading →

In 2012, the European Patent Office (EPO) received 258 000 patent applications. This represents a 5.7% increase over 2011 (244 000) and sets a new record. In the same year, the EPO published 65 700 granted patents, 5.8% more than … Continue reading →

Oxbridge Biotech Roundtable has teamed up with SR One, the venture capital arm of GlaxoSmithKline, to launch the largest idea competition in the world – OneStart.  They are looking for ideas for innovative technologies with the potential to deliver meaningful … Continue reading →

It has been recently reported on MSN that Kia will now be unable to use its planned name for a flagship car in Europe because its use would conflict with the earlier trade mark of another company.  Before committing to … Continue reading →

Due to the problems caused by Hurricane Sandy in the US on 29 October 2012, the European Patent Office (EPO) has issed a notice drawing attention to the legal remedies provided under the European Patent Convention and under the PCT in … Continue reading →

Whilst patent applications are submitted to an examination process some patents are granted that are later held to be invalid.  This has been reported to have occurred in the case of the Pfizer patent in Canada for the penile erectile … Continue reading →