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PCT Direct at the European Patent Office

PCT Direct at the European Patent Office

Background Applicants wishing to obtain patent protection in more than one country have various options for doing so. One strategy is to file a first application at, say, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) or the European Patent Office (EPO), and then file a...
PCT Direct at the European Patent Office

The Unitary Patent System

Questions When will the Unitary Patent System take effect? This is currently unknown. The system will come into force once the UPC Agreement has been ratified by 13 member states, which must include the UK, Germany and France. At present the “best guess” is mid-2016....
The Bolar Exemption in the UK

The Bolar Exemption in the UK

Until now, exceptions to patent infringement in the UK were limited, so manufacturers preparing for regulatory approval risked an infringement action. Legislation will come into force in the UK on 1 October 2014 that finally provides broad exemption from patent...
Stem Cell Patenting in Europe

Stem Cell Patenting in Europe

The scope for patenting stem cell-based inventions in Europe was dealt a blow by the judgement of the CJEU in Brüstle vs Greenpeace (C 34/10)1. The practical result of this judgement was that the earliest date from which the EPO would acknowledge that morally...