The set-up of local and regional divisions of the Court of First Instance of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) was confirmed in a meeting of the Administrative Committee of the UPC on 8 July 2022. These divisions will be located in: Austria (Vienna) Belgium (Brussels) Demark (Copenhagen) Finland (Helsinki) France (Paris) Germany (Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Mannheim, … Read More
Patents
The Unitary Patent System
The Unitary Patent System The Unitary Patent system is a framework that will make it possible to obtain patent protection in up to 25 EU member states by submitting a single request to the European Patent Office (EPO) instead of validating the granted patent in those countries individually. The 17 states which will participate in … Read More
EPO Oral Proceedings by Video Conference
In April 2021, it was explicitly provided that a European Patent Office Board of Appeal may hold oral proceedings by video conference whenever it considers it appropriate to do so, and without the consent of all parties. In G 1/21, the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) established that holding oral proceedings by video conference is … Read More
Up to £5k of IP costs can be covered by government grant for British SME’s
Under the government’s IP Access scheme, British SME’s have until March 2022 to apply for grants of up to £5,000 total (incl. VAT) towards intellectual property costs. Since it’s a grant, not a loan, the amount, if awarded, never needs repaying, nor is it tied to any milestones or outcomes. The grant cannot be used … Read More