Archive - May 2015

On 7 May 2015, the President of the European Patent Office, Benoît Battistelli, submitted an adjusted proposal for the renewal fees of the Unitary Patent for review by the Select Committee of the Administrative Council. The document, found here, begins with a brief discussion of the previous proposal. The first option in the previous proposal […]

A streamlined system for protecting industrial designs globally has been bolstered by the addition of two major markets – the US and Japan. With effect from 13 May 2015, the US and Japan have become official members of the Hague system, which allows applicants to protect their industrial designs in multiple countries simultaneously and cost-effectively. […]

Public consultation opened today regarding the court fees and recoverable costs at the Unitary Patent Court. The consultation period shall last 12 weeks, closing at midnight on 31 July. Responses should be sent to secretariat@unified-patent-court.org, preferably in English. We’ve picked out some key points from the document below, however, should you wish to review the consultation […]

Arguably the last major hurdle to the introduction of the Unitary Patent was overcome Tuesday as the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) dismissed the two challenges presented by Spain regarding a lack of compliance with EU law. Back in December 2012, Spain challenged the two Regulations which aim to govern the unitary […]

Please note that an important update regarding this case law can be found here. In good news for the biotech industry, the Enlarged Board of Appeal ruled in “Tomato II” and “Broccoli II” cases (G2/12 and G2/13) that the patentability exclusion for essentially biological processes does not extend to the products of those processes. By […]

In an unprecedented decision Mr Justice Arnold has ordered disclosure by a patent proprietor, TickeToGo Limited, to an alleged infringer, The Big Bus Company Limited, of patent licences issued by the patent proprietor, prior to commencement of any patent infringement proceedings between the two parties. This decision may break down the walls of secrecy that […]