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UK banks lag US banks in innovation – only 290 patents filed in the last decade
The UK’s biggest banks have filed just a fraction of the patent applications of their American counterparts over the last 10 years, with the top five UK banks collectively applying for just 290 patents while the top 3 US banks collectively applied for 5,027, says...
New ECTA Patent Committee: mission, vision, and destiny
ECTA has created a Patent Committee. This is quite a surprising move considering that ECTA has the reputation of being an association specialized in other IP rights, particularly trademarks. At first glance, it is surprising that a reputed trademark association like...
Embracing DOCX and enabling AI: the future of patent filings at the USPTO in 2024
After several, long delays, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seems to be finally moving forward with implementing the DOCX format requirement for certain patent applications. In its effort to modernize and streamline its systems, the USPTO is...
Novartis v. Natco Pharma Limited: pre-grant opponents in patent examination process
Patent law is characterized by a delicate balance between fostering innovation and ensuring that patents are granted on meritorious grounds. Central to this balance is the mechanism of pre-grant opposition, designed to facilitate a rigorous examination of patent...
Thaler v. Comptroller: the UKSC rules that AI cannot be an ‘inventor’
To the surprise of no one, the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) has finally ruled that an artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be an inventor for the purposes of UK patent law. This judgment accords with the decisions of the lower courts in the UK and the initial ruling of the...
Anaqua launches dedicated law firm business unit
In a bid to address the diverse needs of today’s global law firms, IP management software company Anaqua has launched a new Anaqua Law Firms business unit and announced three senior hires. The move, says Anaqua, underscores the company’s commitment to the law firm...
USPTO launches COVID-19 Response Resource Center
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...
Apple patents “synthetic group selfies”
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...
China Life Sciences collaboration for Rouse and Codex
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,...
“Eureka” for COVID-19 test inventor
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...
USPTO may prioritize COVID-19 applications
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...
Renewed calls for a unified EU patent system
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...
WHO wants a COVID patent pool?
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...
Mental Health Awareness Week – LawCare shares COVID-19 data
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...
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