Insights

Articles Jun112019

Key Points: computing Inventions in Europe

Ian Robinson provides an important update on patent eligibility in Europe for computing-related inventions, including the latest announcements for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

Articles May312019

Can artificial intelligence match human intelligence?

Julia Gwilt and Parminder Lally attended the Cambridge Wireless event on "Narrowing the Intelligence Gap", hosted at Amazon's site in Cambridge. The event featured an excellent talk by Neil Lawrence (IPC Machine Learning at Amazon and Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Sheffield) on whether the latest AI is "more human".

Articles May142019

PCT Direct – Fast forward to positive PCT outcomes

Ithel Jones examines the value of using the PCT Direct service offered by the European Patent Office.

Articles May092019

Problematic Priorities

In the last few months, the European Patent Office has decided that the priority claim of a number of pending patent applications and granted patents was invalid. In this article, Parminder Lally looks at the reasons behind these decisions and the consequences, and provides tips on how to avoid priority issues on your own patent applications.

Articles Apr182019

Further uncertainty for biotech/agritech patent applicants

Are products exclusively obtained by essentially biological processes patentable at the EPO?

Articles Apr112019

Patenting Mobile Apps

Richard Bray and Samuel Bird discuss the patentability of mobile apps.

Articles Mar142019

Eli Lilly v Genentech

Eli Lilly v Genentech: the question of SPCs based on third party MAs is referred to the CJEU.

Articles Feb272019

Patentability of products obtained from biological processes

After years of controversy, the Technical Board of Appeal (TBA) of the EPO has recently decided that products obtained by essentially biological processes can be patent protected (T1063/18).

Articles Jan292019

Missing the target with functional claim language

What’s the problem with ‘functional limitations’?

Articles Jan172019

New Guidance on Patent Eligibility in the USA

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced revised guidelines for evaluating patent applications for subject-matter eligibility. The new guidance took effect from 7 January 2019, with the aim of helping the 8,500 patent examiners and administrative patent judges at the USPTO make clear and consistent decisions concerning inventions which are on the borderline of the patent system.

Articles Jan152019

A tale of broccoli, tomatoes and peppers

After years of controversy, the Technical Board of Appeal (TBA) of the EPO has recently decided that products obtained by essentially biological processes can be patent protected