Insights

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South America: New PPH agreements launched

By Troels Peter Rørdam | Posted on December 21, 2016

The ever expanding Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) network keeps getting new additions, and as usual, the Awapatent IP Blog sums up the new expansions and arising possibilities. The PPH is a system of bilateral agreements allowing the request of accelerated examination at a participating office. The system is based on the search results and a...

Tags: IP, PCT, PPH, prosur, south america

The President-elect and Intellectual Property

By Joacim Lydén | Posted on December 12, 2016

As election night in the US evolved, the Democratic community slowly started to realise the probability, and later the certainty, that there would be a shift of political parties in the White House. Trying to assess how this transition of power will affect the world of IP is not an easy task. Policy documents that...

Tags: AIA, IP, patent law, United states, US

Cautious optimism regarding 2017 UPC implementation

By AWA | Posted on November 29, 2016

During the meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council on 28 November 2016 in Brussels, the UK Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property stated that the UK will proceed with their ratification process in the months to come. The statement from the UK Minister for State and Intellectual Property Baroness Neville-Rolfe now seemingly paves...

Tags: UK, unified patent court, UP, UPC

Interesting decision on conflicts of interest

By Ole Bokinge | Posted on November 21, 2016

Ethics and the risk of conflicts of interest are issues that all law firms have to beware of and manage properly. When you use a law firm, you should always expect that your information is handled with confidentiality. Today, many law firms represent multiple clients within the same technical field and sometimes their clients are...

Tags: conflicts of interest, epi

A more efficient trademark application process in China? 13 new Trademark Application and Service centers opened.

By AWA | Posted on November 8, 2016

China’s State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC), which also administers the China Trademark Office and all trademark applications in China, is on a reform path and is putting efforts into facilitating trademark registrations across China’s provinces and lower tier cities and spreading the work outside of Beijing. The need for reform is a result...

Tags: Application, awa asia, china, China Trademark Office, SAIC, trademarks

Referral to the Enlarged Board of Appeal regarding negative features in a claim (i.e. disclaimers).

By AWA | Posted on November 3, 2016

The use of undisclosed disclaimers in a filed application has been practiced since the start of the EPC (European Patent Convention) and was codified in G 1/03. According to this decision, three exceptions from the general principle (a patent or patent application may not be amended in such a way that it contains subject-matter which...

Tags: applications, awapatent, EBA, epa, EPC

EPO gets Stricter on Requirements for Recording Assignments

By AWA | Posted on October 24, 2016

The EPO is going to take a stricter approach for recording an assignment of EP applications. Up until now the EPO has accepted assignment documents evidencing a transfer that had only been signed by the Assignor. Recordal of assignment is governed by Article 72 EPC which states that “An assignment of a European patent application...

Tags: awapatent, EP application, EPO, Patent, patent application

European Patent Office: New PPH agreements on the way

By Troels Peter Rørdam | Posted on October 20, 2016

The ever expanding Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) network keeps getting new additions, and as usual, the AWAPATENT IP Blog sums up the new expansions and arising possibilities. The PPH is a system of bilateral agreements allowing for requesting accelerated examination at one participating office. The system is based on the search results and a set...

Tags: awapatent, EPO, Patent, patent application, PPH

The value of design patents

By Joacim Lydén | Posted on October 18, 2016

It is a perfectly clear, crisp morning as I make my way from Washington DC’s Union Station, through a clean and perfectly trimmed Senate Park, to the white neoclassical palace that houses the United States Supreme Court. The wide pavement and massive stairs leading to the building’s entrance is filled with journalists, photographers and television...

Tags: awapatent, IP, Patent, Trademark, USA

Amended rules relating to the refund of the examination fee

By AWA | Posted on August 23, 2016

Today the rules relating to fees stipulates that the examination fee will be refunded in full if the European patent application is withdrawn, refused or deemed to be withdrawn before the Examination Division (ED) has assumed responsibility of the application. The examination fee can also be refunded at a rate of 75% if the European...

Tags: EPC, EPO, epo fees

Recent contributors

Anders Heebøll-Nielsen, Partner and European Patent Attorney, Copenhagen, Denmark

Anders Heebøll-Nielsen

Partner, European Patent Attorney, Certified Danish Patent Agent

Ashley Zhao, Partner and Attorney at Law, Beijing, China

Ashley Zhao

Partner, Attorney at Law, Business Area Manager

Monika Trombitas Andersson, Associate and Attorney at Law, Lund, Sweden

Monika Trombitas Andersson

Associate, Attorney at Law, European Trademark and Design Attorney

Emily Chamberlain, Senior Associate and Patents, Stockholm, Sweden

Emily Chamberlain

Senior Associate, Patents

Niklas Mattsson, Partner and European Patent Attorney, Stockholm, Sweden

Niklas Mattsson

Partner, European Patent Attorney, Authorised Swedish Patent Attorney, UPC Representative

Ai-Leen Lim, Partner and Attorney at Law, Hong Kong SAR

Ai-Leen Lim

Partner, Attorney at Law, Group Vice President