News
Oral proceedings at the EPO to be held by Zoom
The global pandemic has led to widespread use of video conferencing, including at the EPO....
The global pandemic has led to widespread use of video conferencing, including at the EPO. With effect from 1 October 2021, oral proceedings before the receivin - Read more
Oral proceedings by video conference at the EPO
The global pandemic has led to widespread use of video conferencing, including at the EPO....
The global pandemic has led to widespread use of video conferencing, including at the EPO. The EPO has recently announced that oral proceedings before the oppo - Read more
2021 Guidelines for Examination at the European Patent Office
The Guidelines for Examination at the European Patent Office (EPO) has been updated to be ...
The Guidelines for Examination at the European Patent Office (EPO) has been updated to be gender neutral, and to reflect recent changes in law and practice. - Read more
Changes to patent term extensions and patent term adjustments in South Korea
South Korea has changed the eligibility requirements for patent term extensions (PTEs) and...
South Korea has changed the eligibility requirements for patent term extensions (PTEs) and the regulations for patent term adjustments (PTAs). - Read more
Re-registered International Designs can now be searched on the UK Register
On 1 January 2021, the UK automatically created ‘re-registered’ designs cloned from EU-des...
On 1 January 2021, the UK automatically created ‘re-registered’ designs cloned from EU-designating designs, to ensure intellectual property rights were not lost - Read more
The Unitary Patent and UPC: Two steps forward and one step back
Despite years of discussion, the implementation of the Unitary Patent and UPC remains stal...
Despite years of discussion, the implementation of the Unitary Patent and UPC remains stalled. - Read more
Simulations are patentable inventions
The highest court at the European Patent Office decides that simulations are patentable, j...
The highest court at the European Patent Office decides that simulations are patentable, just like any other computer-implemented invention. - Read more
Update concerning GCC patent applications
The Gulf Cooperation Council Patent Office (GCCPO) has stopped accepting new patent applic...
The Gulf Cooperation Council Patent Office (GCCPO) has stopped accepting new patent applications, but will continue its operations for pending and granted cases - Read more
Designation of inventor changes at the EPO
The EPO’s requirements for the designation of the inventor have changed. The EPO will also...
The EPO’s requirements for the designation of the inventor have changed. The EPO will also no longer inform inventors that they have been designated. - Read more
International Bureau Closure Dates - 2021
A list of the days on which the International Bureau (IB) is closed in the remainder of 20...
A list of the days on which the International Bureau (IB) is closed in the remainder of 2021 is provided below. Should a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) documen - Read more
Patent Prosecution Highway
In many instances the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) reduces the time taken to obtain a ...
In many instances the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) reduces the time taken to obtain a granted patent and may also reduce the overall costs involved in obtai - Read more
European Patent Convention
The 17th edition of the European Patent Convention (EPC) has recently been released
The 17th edition of the European Patent Convention (EPC) has recently been released - Read more