UPC and EPO diverge on inventive step: lessons from Amgen’s PCSK9 patent battle
In a landmark test of the new Unified Patent Court (UPC), the European patent landscape faces a striking divergence between the UPC and the European Patent Office (EPO) on the issue of inventive step. The dispute centers on Amgen's European patent EP 3 666 797, which...
Should translation requirements apply equally in patent law?
A recent High Court judgment in India highlights a potential procedural fairness question in patent examination regarding English translation standards. While patent applicants face rigorous translation requirements under multiple Patent Rules, with severe...
Therapeutic efficacy is a must for a novel intermediate compound to overcome Section 3(d) objection
In an appeal case between Zeria Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., v. The Controller of Patents (C.A.(COMM.IPD-PAT) 452/2022) before the Delhi High Court, wherein the appellant - a Japanese Corporation - filed an Indian Patent Application, numbered 3630/DLNP/2011 (the subject...
UPC validates second medical use patent in Sanofi v. Amgen antibody therapeutics ruling, finds non-infringement
The Düsseldorf Local Division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) has handed down a key decision in UPC CFI 505/2024, affirming the validity of a second medical use patent owned by Regeneron and licensed to Sanofi. The case involved alleged infringement by Amgen’s PCSK9...
Perkins Coie adds two highly respected IP litigators in Palo Alto
PALO ALTO - March 10, 2025 – Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Arpita Bhattacharyya and Robert McCauley have joined the firm’s national Intellectual Property (IP) and Patent Litigation practices as partners in the Palo Alto office. Bhattacharyya advises...
Fieldfisher strengthens IP practice with the hire of Victoria Bentley
European law firm Fieldfisher has announced the appointment of Victoria Bentley as a partner in its Intellectual Property practice, expanding the firm's unparalleled expertise in software and emerging technology litigation. Bentley joins the firm from Shoosmiths on...
Bird & Bird strengthens Stockholm IP team with new partner Wendela Hårdemark
International law firm Bird & Bird bolsters its international Intellectual Property (IP) practice in Sweden with the hire of patent litigator Wendela Hårdemark. With almost 20 years of specialized experience in IP rights and commercial disputes, Hårdemark’s...
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USPTO public listening session on standards and intellectual property
On September 20, 2023, IP stakeholders converged at the United States Patent and Trademark Office to speak on the hot-button issue of standard essential patents (SEPs). The USPTO, in collaboration with the International Trade Administration and the National Institute...
An update on claim priority and PCT applications
The Enlarged Board has issued its decision in consolidated cases G 1/22 and G 2/22. It concluded that the EPO is competent to assess priority entitlement and that there is a rebuttable presumption that an applicant claiming priority in accordance with the formal...
Clarivate report finds significant adoption of AI in IP
Different roles within the IP practice and geographies significantly diverge in their attitudes toward AI London, U.K. October 12, 2023. Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a global leader in connecting people and organizations to intelligence they can trust to transform their...
Forresters hire Partner Michael Fischer
Forresters has strengthened its German and European credentials with the hire of Partner Michael Fischer. Michael is a German and European Patent Attorney and a European Trademark and Design Attorney, specializing in electronics, computer-implemented inventions (CII),...
Unenforceable patents see Google victorious over $32.5 million verdict
It has been found that Sonos had improperly attempted to connect its 2006 patents for wireless, multi-room audio technology as a predate to Google’s devices. The $32.5 million case, brought before a California federal judge, has been thrown out with Sonos’ patents...
Insider: a sneak peek into the AIPPI World Congress Program from AIPPI’s Reporter General Ari Laakkonen
In advance of the AIPPI World Congress, we sat down with Ari Laakkonen, Partner at Powell Gilbert and the Reporter General of AIPPI, to learn more about the upcoming program. The Istanbul Congress takes place at just the right moment for an update on the UPC, a few...
João Negrão begins his mandate as Executive Director of the EUIPO
João Negrão takes up office on 2 October 2023 as Executive Director of the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). With a strong record of almost 25 years of leadership experience in the intellectual property (IP) field, the Portuguese national was appointed to the...
Quarles Denver Office adds intellectual property litigator Matthew Holohan as Partner
The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP announced that Matthew Holohan has joined the firm’s Denver office as a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group. He was previously at an intellectual property (IP) firm in Denver. Holohan counsels clients...
Former Finnegan attorneys return to expand IP transactions practice with in-house experience
Finnegan is pleased to announce that alumni Nishla Keiser, Ph.D., and Malcolm Meeks have rejoined the firm, bringing extensive in-house insight to enhance Finnegan’s services, and expand the growing IP transactions practice. They each bring valuable experience from...
Adobe’s $33.8 million patent verdict: lessons in intellectual property protection
In the whirlwind of the technology sector, where innovation thrives and boundaries blur, legal disputes surrounding intellectual property are all too familiar. Recently, Adobe, a prominent player in the digital landscape, found itself entangled in a legal tempest,...
Payments company Worldline joins the Open Invention Network
According to a recent report from Macrotrends, global payments revenue for the quarter ending June 30, 2023, was $2.452B, a 7.52% increase year-over-year. Payments services play an increasingly important role in our economy. They enable seamless, near real-time...
Rouse appoints new Joint COO to support M&A ambitions
LONDON, 25 September 2023: Leading International IP services business Rouse today announces the appointment of Paolo Tavolato to the position of Joint Chief Operating Officer (COO), as Rouse continues to expand its leadership team as part of its growth and development...
Anaqua builds on its momentum in Japan with new leadership, clients, solutions and country HQ
Futoshi Saito Joins as President & General Manager, Japan BOSTON, September 26, 2023 – Anaqua, the leading global innovation and intellectual property (IP) management technology provider, today announced changes to its executive leadership team in Japan as the...
Innovation in plastic has more than tripled globally, report reveals
European nations must evolve faster, as nearly half of all plastic patents have been developed in Asia over the last two decades. A new report reveals innovation in plastic technology has more than tripled since 2015, following legislative action and policy...
Open Invention Network takes measures to protect AI / ML in Open Source
According to a report by Contrive Datum Research, the market for machine learning (ML) is expected to reach $209 billion by 2030. When companies and organizations speak of deploying artificial intelligence (AI), they are almost certainly using machine learning. ML is...
Clarivate launches AI-powered tool to simplify IP budgets and forecasts
New tool tracks and predicts IP costs more accurately and efficiently Clarivate, a global leader in connecting people and organizations to intelligence they can trust to transform their world, today launched Forecast, the next generation artificial intelligence...
Mewburn Ellis praised for achievements in sustainability
EcoVadis ratings highlight environmental policies and sustainable procurement practices as firm launches annual in-depth sustainable communities report European IP firm Mewburn Ellis has for the second year running, been awarded the prestigious silver medal award by...
Lupton Fawcett to offer onboarding bonus to key hires
Yorkshire law firm Lupton Fawcett is to offer an onboarding bonus to key hires as part of its strategy for continued growth. The firm, which has offices in Leeds, Sheffield and York, is seeking experienced, commercially-minded legal professionals to join its...
Border patrol: D.C. Circuit confirms boundary between the legitimate exercise of patent rights and antitrust enforcement
Antitrust law and patent law can at times appear in conflict. The principal goals of the antitrust laws are to enhance competition and prevent exclusionary conduct. Patents, on the other hand, provide a right to exclude others, including competitors, from the...
Evidence of copying by IPR petitioner may be enough for secondary considerations to overcome showing of obviousness
In Volvo Penta v. Brunswick (2022-1765), evidence of copying overcame the showing that all claim limitations were obvious in light of the prior art. The goal for petitioners in an inter partes review is pretty straightforward: find prior art that teaches all of the...
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Women in IP Leadership
A segment dedicated to women working in the IP industry, providing a platform to share real accounts from rising women around the globe. In these interviews we will be discussing experiences, celebrating milestones and achievements, and putting forward ideas for advancing equity and diversity.
By providing a platform to share personal experiences we aim to continue the empowerment of women in the world of IP.


Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Series
In this six-part series Dr. Suzanne Wertheim, of Worthwhile Research & Consulting, talks to The Patent Lawyer about diversity, equity, and inclusion: what it means; the current challenges; DEI in law; gender bias; and what we can all do to improve.