Insights

Articles Feb172022

Patenting inventions developed by multinational teams

Imagine this. You have a friend Bond, James Bond, who is a UK resident and an enthusiastic inventor. Recently, James invented an electronic paralyser which can be fitted into a pen. This invention has the potential to revolutionize the secret agent industry.

Articles Feb172022

When will the Unified Patent Court go live?

The Unitary Patent (UP) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) go live on 1 June 2023, when the UPC Agreement (UPCA) enters into force.

Podcasts Feb172022

The Greenshoots Podcast by Appleyard Lees – Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report 2021

partner David Walsh, and senior associates Chris Mason and Paul Beynon discuss key insights from the report, and the complexities of analysing patent data.

Trainee blogs Feb092022

Amending the description of a patent application

Patent applications are legal documents with several sections to them. The most important section is the claims, which define how much legal protection the applicant is seeking for an invention. The description describes the invention in more detail and supports the claims.

Articles Feb092022

Let’s ask Artificial Intelligence: how good is your grammar?

Senior associate Parminder Lally looks at artificial intelligence-based grammar tools, and provide advice on whether this type of technology is patentable.

Articles Feb082022

T1989/18: No legal basis for description conformity requirement

Following a 2021 Board of Appeal decision, patent applications cannot be refused on the grounds that the description describes something that is not (or no longer) claimed.

Articles Jan312022

Successful copyright claim for the Duchess of Sussex

In early 2021, the High Court of England and Wales found that Associated Newspapers Limited, , had infringed copyright belonging to the Duchess of Sussex and unlawfully invaded her privacy. We analyse what led to the decision of infringement in the Duchess’ case.

Articles Jan282022

Progress and promise for green plastics

A recent EPO report on plastic recycling and plastic alternatives provided an analysis of innovation in technology areas such as chemical and biological recycling, and bioplastics. We discuss the findings.

Articles Jan182022

A brief guide to patenting surgical inventions in Europe

Inventions can be broadly split into products (i.e. physical entities) and methods (i.e. activities). This brief guide aims to clarify which surgical products and methods can and cannot currently be patented in Europe.