EPO Strategic Plan 2023 Consultation
The European Patent Office (EPO) is seeking input for its Strategic Plan 2023. This project aims to set the vision of the EPO for 2019–2023. The consultation will run from 23 January to 15 March. The results of the consultation will then be presented to the Administrative Council in June 2019.
All EPO stakeholders may participate in this consultation. The EPO imagine this could include: applicants (both individual and corporate), patent attorneys, law firms, national patent offices, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and universities. If you deal with the EPO and want your opinions known; this is your opportunity. (more…)
Brexit – No Deal & IP
Previous articles on IPcopy have briefly discussed the possibility of how a “No Deal” Brexit will affect trade marks and designs. Since the UK is fast approaching the 29 March 2019 deadline for leaving the EU without a satisfactory deal in sight, we have highlighted the UK government’s plans for trade marks and designs in the event of “No Deal” in more detail. (more…)
Changes in UK trade mark law
As of 14 January 2019, there have been important amendments to trade mark law in the UK. We have highlighted some of the key changes below. (more…)
Brexit update: Business as usual
Nothing over the last few weeks has done anything to dispel the uncertainty that hangs over Brexit. Parliament emphatically rejected the proposed EU withdrawal agreement on 15 January and the last week has seen a number of proposed amendments* to the withdrawal agreement defeated. There are now only around 50 days until Brexit and the UK’s position hasn’t changed much since Article 50 was triggered nearly two years ago…. (more…)
Nobody Knows Just We Two – Patents, Sales and Confidentiality
The differences between US and European patent law can often trip up practitioners unless they are careful – while most European patent law is (fairly) well harmonised, US patent law is quite different. While the two are closer in some ways than they have been – obviousness in the US has become much more like inventive step in Europe since KSR v. Teleflex, for example – there are some sharp differences. One subtle one is the interplay between confidentiality and sale. The recent decision in Helsinn Healthcare S.A: v. TEVA Pharmaceuticals USA INC., et al., reported here in IPKat, shows that one very real trap still exists. (more…)
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