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...
Annual Report 2024 of the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office
The Annual Report 2024 of the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office has been published today. It is available in English, German, and French on the Boards' website. Delivering decisions of the highest quality continued to be a central priority in 2024. As in...
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...
Certainty for businesses and choice for consumers as UK maintains IP rights regime
No legislative changes mean businesses can continue operating under the existing exhaustion of intellectual property rights regime without any new requirements. The UK+ regime protects creators and innovators while ensuring fair competition in the marketplace and...
Eckert Seamans expands Pittsburgh IP practice with addition of member Trevor Bannister
February 24, 2025 - National law firm Eckert Seamans has added Trevor L Bannister as a Member in the Intellectual Property practice. He joins the firm’s Pittsburgh office from KDW Firm PLLC. Bannister provides comprehensive and strategic counseling for clients to...
Mewburn Ellis announces two partner promotions
LONDON – Intellectual property firm Mewburn Ellis today announces three promotions in the firm, including two to the partnership, taking effect from April 1, 2025. Camille Terfve has been appointed as a full member of the partnership; Lucy Coe has been promoted to a...
Von Seidels opens East Africa office in Kenya
Von Seidels has opened its fifth regional office on the African continent, Von Seidels Kenya. The new office is located in Nairobi and will service the East Africa region. Von Seidels already has local offices in other major African markets, including Nigeria, South...
More Copyright News
USPTO updates drawing figures selection process for efficiency
In a recent communication, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced an improved and more efficient process for choosing drawing figures to be featured on the front page of pre-grant patent publications. The new development, which will take...
Avanci launches 5G Connected Vehicle licensing program
Independent, market-led global solution spans 59 initial participants Avanci 5G Connected Vehicle license covers the vast majority of essential cellular technologies Program launches as automakers begin the roll-out of 5G connected vehicles DUBLIN, Ireland, August 16,...
Haynes and Boone IP Litigation Team secures IPR win for Orthofix
A team of Haynes and Boone, LLP attorneys recently earned a victory for medical device company Orthofix, resulting in the invalidity of two spinal fusion-related patents acquired by Spine Holdings, LLC in 2019. Spine Holdings asserted patent infringement in district...
Herbert Smith Freehills advises Sumitomo Corporation on digital platform investment to further creation of a “new economy” environment
Leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Sumitomo Corporation on its investment in DABCO Limited, a digital platform provider wholly owned by Vodafone Group Plc. This is Sumitomo's second collaboration with UK-based Vodafone Group Plc to...
Exercising judicious use: AI tools for legal professionals
In recent years, the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has brought about significant changes in how various industries engage with technology. From sophisticated machine learning algorithms to natural language processing and computer vision systems, AI...
The importance of Bayh-Dole Act compliance for patent holders
In the realms of technology and innovation, patents offer the lifeblood that propels forward progress. Patent holders are granted an exclusive right to their invention, providing them with a distinct market advantage. However, when these inventions are borne out of...
China enacts world’s first legislation regulating generative artificial intelligence
In recent years, Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (hereinafter referred to as AIGC), represented by ChatGPT, has gained great development and attention worldwide. On the one hand, due to its powerful knowledge and content generation capabilities, the industry...
The UK joins the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-pacific partnership
In the latest free trade agreement expansion news, the UK has formally signed the treaty to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The CPTPP is a wide-reaching free trade agreement that currently includes Australia,...
JOHN RAYMOND OLSEN – 10 February 1948 – 13 March 2023
John Raymond Olsen died peacefully at University College Hospital, London England on 13 March 2023. He was a leading international intellectual property lawyer who was a graduate of Notre Dame Law School USA and practiced for 50 years, 35 of which were in the UK. ...
UK Government publishes transformation consultation response
The UK government has published its response to the transformation consultation which ran in late 2022 and ended on 6 January this year. The government sought views on a number of changes related to the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) new digital services, and...
Quant granted patent for chronologically ordering blockchain transactions
London, 1 August 2023 - Quant, the blockchain for finance pioneer, has secured a new patent, part of its ongoing mission to make distributed ledger technology simple, trusted, and future-proof. The patent, titled ‘Blockchain Communications and Ordering’, recognizes...
Rouse grows leadership with two new Principal appointments
The two appointments mark a continued commitment to global growth and development LONDON, August 7 2023: Leading International IP services business Rouse today announces two new Principal promotions – James Godefroy and Stina Pilotti – across its China and Swedish...
Why abuse in the EU SPC Waiver Regulation needs to be eliminated
At first glance, the patent system may seem like a peculiar exception within the context of a free-market economy. After all, patents confer monopolistic rights — something that is usually anathema in free-market ideology. Yet patents represent a rational tradeoff to...
Challenging a Canadian patent by re-examination
Patent re-examination is the only process available in the Canadian Patent Office to challenge a Canadian patent. There can be success in killing a patent in a Canadian re-examination, as reported here. In that case, a patent was revoked on the basis of...
Building the house from the roof down: The Standard Essential Patent (SEP) Draft Regulation
It is well known that a stable house needs strong foundations. The same goes for EU regulations. Because a regulation is a binding legislative act that applies across the EU, its creation or amendment demands careful consideration. Consequently, a regulation usually...
Amendment in claims and specification should trigger fresh examination holds Kolkata High Court
The Kolkata High Court, while hearing an appeal against the refusal of a patent application, laid down important guidelines for the Patent Office directing that “upon amendment of the claims, the amendment application ought to be examined in a manner similar to the...
The Supreme Court leaves patent eligibility in flux
In May 2023, the US Supreme Court declined to hear three cases concerning patent eligibility: Interactive Wearables LLC v. Polar Electro OY[1], Tropp v. Travel Sentry Inc.[2], and Avery Dennison Corp. v. ADASA Inc.[3] This is despite the US solicitor general, the US...
UK confirmed as leading jurisdiction for global FRAND rate determination
In a dispute between Optis and Apple, the High Court in London found that relying on comparable licenses remains key to determining a global rate in UK FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) litigation, cementing the UK’s role as an important forum for...
Clarivate releases Innovators to Watch 2023 Report
Identifies 36 companies and organizations on the cusp of Top 100 Global Innovators status London, U.K., July 25, 2023 – Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in connecting people and organizations to intelligence they can trust to transform their world, today...
Green Channel successfully accelerates green UK innovation but more can be done to enhance its attractiveness
LONDON – International IP firm Mewburn Ellis has released a mini-report that examines the trends in the operation and use of the UK IPO’s Green Channel program. The UK’s IPO Green Channel allows patent applicants to accelerate the processing of patent applications...
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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.