In the latest in a series of steps intended to bring calm to the US IP landscape in the face of coronavirus, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has launched a “COVID-19 Response Resource Center” to “provide stakeholders and other interested parties...

In what, with hindsight, seems like an obvious innovation in our socially distanced, locked down age, California tech giant Apple has successfully applied for a US patent for “synthetic group selfies”. Apple’s patent, granted on 2 June by the USPTO, covers the...

International IP firm Rouse and Life Sciences services provider Codex have announced a collaboration that is intended to support life sciences companies accessing the Chinese market. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has intensified the global search for treatments,...

The inventor of a ground-breaking COVID-19 test described his “eureka moment” when he realized he could adapt existing tech to create a rapid virus test. Professor Chris Toumazou is the co-founder of DnaNudge, which produces App technology that uses DNA and lifestyle...

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has asked for comments on its proposal to fast-track patent applications relating to COVID-19 – a so-called Prioritized Examination Pilot Program (PEPP). In a statement released on its website, the USPTO says that...

Despite, or maybe because of recent high-profile blows to the planned implementation of such a system, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has once again called upon Member States to move forward with a unified EU patent. Breton’s call comes at a time when...

The annual world health assembly, the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed and an event which involves almost every country in the world, began (via videolink) on 18 May. At the top of the agenda is, of course, the current COVID-19...

With it currently being Mental Health Awareness Week (18-24 May), legal mental health charity LawCare has released data on all the COVID-19 related contacts it has received to date. In total, 48 legal professionals have contacted the charity with issues related to...

The 2020 KnowIt annual event, to which The Patent Lawyer is the official media partner, is currently Livestreaming from 10 am EST until May 13. This three-day event aims to bring together the community of creators and protectors of intellectual property and other...

The Patent Lawyer is partnering with Fellows and Associates to bring you the 9th Annual Patent and Trademark Attorney Salary Survey 2020. This survey aims to analyze the current remuneration packages available for Patent and Trademark Attorneys. As such, all...

A new WIPO report, released to coincide with World IP Day on Sunday 26 April, has highlighted the fact that innovation in environmentally friendly technologies as measured by international patent applications barely rose in 2019, prompting a call from WIPO Director...

With World IP Day 2020 celebrating the theme of a greener future, when it comes to innovation in green technology, it is not just the major corporations that are making the difference. A lot of smaller entities are also working on technologies that could have a...

The British government has announced that UK firms manufacturing ventilators for use in combating the COVIC-19 pandemic will be protected by the government from the financial impact of potential legal claims arising over intellectual property infringements or personal...

Leading global children’s entertainment company, Spin Master, has won a major victory in a long-running patent dispute against one of the most prominent toy producers in China, resulting in the largest damages ever awarded to a foreign patent owner. In a first...

The past few weeks have seen leading IP firms make a series of high-profile appointments. At Mewburn Ellis, Adam Gregory, part of the firm’s industry-leading life sciences patent team, has been promoted to partner. This promotion sees the Mewburn Ellis partnership...

The 2020 Global IP Directory is OUT NOW!

In light of current global events, and in line with many other jurisdictions, the Indian Supreme Court has extended the limitation period for the filing of suits, appeals, and applications in all proceedings before any court, tribunal, or authority in India. The...

In a decisive and damaging blow for the Irish pharmaceutical giant, a US Federal Court decision has ruled that six patents owned by Amarin Corporation, and used in its successful drug VASCEPA, are invalid. VASCEPA, a treatment for cardiovascular disease originally...

The future of Europe’s Unified Patent Court (UPC) seems increasingly in doubt. First, the British Government confirmed that it would not seek membership of the Court following Brexit, and now Germany’s intended involvement has been deemed “unconstitutional”. The UPC...

Given the enormous, and growing, disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Patent Office (EPO) has taken the decision to extend all deadlines for application until 17 April 2020. The decision was announced in a Notice dated 17 March, which stated that...