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IP and AI – UK Government publishes response to second consultation

Author: Fergus Brown   On 28 June 2022, the UKIPO published its response (here) addressing the second consultation on the interplay between artificial intelligence and intellectual property, which ran from October 2021 to January 2022. The consultation sought input on three specific areas: Copyright protection for computer-generated works (CGWs) without a human author; Licensing or… Read more »

The IP Space – Edition 3

Author: Adrian Bennett   Greetings once again everyone, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to this new series of short articles reporting on the latest challenges and successes in the Space Industry.  It is our mission to keep you updated with the latest news, and provide wider background context around the various players… Read more »

WIPO Green: A forum for green technology

Author: Lucy O’Brien   WIPO Green launched in 2013 as an online database for users to exchange needs and solutions in the field of green technology, with green technology being defined in by the United Nations as technologies that “protect the environment, are less polluting, use all resources in a more sustainable manner, recycle more… Read more »

Being Agnostic can be better for the Environment

There has been much talk about stopping use of internal combustion (IC) engines, but reports of the death of the engine may have been exaggerated. Cummins has produced conventional engines for many years starting with diesel and later including natural gas as fuel sources.  As part of commitment to sustainability it is also looking to… Read more »

Re-designing the system – the UK IPO consults on the future of UK design protection – all questions answered by the government*! *not

I reported on the post-Brexit consultation launched by the UK government into the design system here, and the government’s response was recently published here. This article looks at the main conclusions offered in the government response.  If you were envisaging that the response would set out a clear plan for the reform of the system… Read more »

Music as a pharmaceutical alternative

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” The words of Aldous Huxley depict the unique ability of music to convey emotion and summon an instinctual sentimental response within us all. Although many believe this to be an ineffable reaction which defies scientific explanation, a growing body of research appears to… Read more »

This time next year we’ll be millionaires? … Only Fools and Horses ruling establishes copyright in characters.

In the recent case of Shazam v Only Fools The Dining Experience and Others [2022] EWHC 1379 (IPEC) the IPEC ruled that copyright could subsist in a fictional character considered a ‘literary work’ under UK copyright law. The case concerned the character Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter from the long-running TV series Only Fools and Horses… Read more »

AA Thornton Partners receive additional awards

We wish to thank our clients once again for the positive feedback. You have put our patent practice at the top of Legal500 rankings for 2022 as well as  recommending us for various awards. This week saw publication of the report ‘IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2022’ in which Dr Craig… Read more »

Amendments to the Patent Description: To what extent?

Amendments to the Patent Description: To what extent? The recent decision by the European Patent Office (EPO)’s Technical Board of Appeal 1024/18 implies the EPO is likely to be very strict with amendments of the description to be consistent with the subject matter of the allowed claims. It has long been the practice by the… Read more »

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