Insights

Articles Jan192026

Patent Prosecution Highway – speeding towards patent grant

The road to getting a patent can be quite long and winding. This can be advantageous for some patent applicants, particularly start-ups and spin-outs, because it spreads out the costs for patent prosecution over a number of years. However, there are times when it may be desirable to speed-up the patent prosecution process. In this article, we explain a popular way to speed-up the process to getting a patent: the aptly named Patent Prosecution Highway.

Articles Dec112024

The rise of bioprinting: patent trends and key players in 3D-printed tissues

Based on global patent data and commercial developments, this article looks at how the bioprinting sector is maturing — with innovation shifting from printing methods to material design.

Articles Oct142024

CRISPR– A twist in the tale in the ongoing patent battle in Europe

CRISPR mediated gene editing technology is an efficient and highly selective technique that allows the DNA of organisms to be easily and precisely modified.

Articles Sep172024

Dexcom vs Abbott at the UPC

In our most recent article, Senior Associate and Patent Attorney, Sarah Gibbs, and Trainee Patent Attorney, Jack Braithwaite, discuss how the revocation of Dexcom’s patent on CGM tech by the Unified Patent Court, marked a significant victory for Abbott, in their ongoing patent battle.

Articles Aug202024

G1/24 referral to the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBOA) – will the EBOA resolve the burning issue of claim interpretation?

Senior Associate, Edward Rainsford, discusses a referral brought to the Enlarged Board of Appeal. The Enlarged Board of Appeal has been presented with several questions about the extent to which the description and figures should be consulted when interpreting the claims of a patent application. The upcoming decision could clarify claim interpretation in future cases.

Articles Jun042024

T 1762/21 – Added matter and intermediate generalisations: when are features “inextricably linked”?

Sarah Gibbs discusses a recent decision from the European Patent Office on how intermediate generalisations should be assessed for added matter.

Articles May162024

Biological deposits for patents, the Five “W”s: Why, What, Where, When and Who?

Rachel Mercer discusses how biological deposits can be used to fulfil the requirements of a sufficient disclosure for patent applications involving biological material.

Podcasts Apr182024

The Greenshoots Podcast by Appleyard Lees – current priorities for in-house IP teams

In this episode, Appleyard Lees partners and patent attorneys Ean Davies and Adam Tindall discuss the current challenges in-house IP teams face when it comes to protecting innovation, and look at how the priorities of in-house teams have changed in recent years.

Articles Mar252024

T 1473/19 – claim interpretation, added matter, and the importance of a comma

In a recent decision from the European Patent Office (EPO), T 1473/19, the Board of Appeal revoked a patent for added subject matter, due to its interpretation that claim 1 lacked basis in the description of the application as filed. Senior associate and patent attorney Sarah Gibbs, and patent attorney Amelia Barton, explain how this case highlights the importance of precise claim drafting, and the potential pitfalls when there are discrepancies between the claims and the description of the invention.

Podcasts Feb152024

The Greenshoots Podcast by Appleyard Lees – the start-up story of ACT Medical

In this episode, partner and patent attorney Parminder Lally, and trainee patent attorney Debora Dorn, are joined by ACT Medical’s founder and managing director Joseph Bentley, and head of product Emma Priestley. They discuss ACT Medical’s revolutionary care for penetrative trauma, look at the challenges the business has faced as a start-up, and talk about the role IP has played in its growth.

Articles Jul272023

UK registered trade mark and design holders must have a UK address for service

On 25 January 2023, the UK IPO issued a notice with immediate effect to say that the registrar will require a UK address for service (AFS) before any documents are considered formally served.

Medtech

Patent Prosecution Highway – speeding towards patent grant

The rise of bioprinting: patent trends and key players in 3D-printed tissues

CRISPR– A twist in the tale in the ongoing patent battle in Europe

Dexcom vs Abbott at the UPC

G1/24 referral to the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBOA) – will the EBOA resolve the burning issue of claim interpretation?

T 1762/21 – Added matter and intermediate generalisations: when are features “inextricably linked”?

Biological deposits for patents, the Five “W”s: Why, What, Where, When and Who?

The Greenshoots Podcast by Appleyard Lees – current priorities for in-house IP teams

T 1473/19 – claim interpretation, added matter, and the importance of a comma

The Greenshoots Podcast by Appleyard Lees – the start-up story of ACT Medical

UK registered trade mark and design holders must have a UK address for service