News

The EPO recently announced three fee reducing measures, which came into force on 1 April 2018. The EPO will not be adjusting fees due to inflation for the period 2018-2020 (typically there is a biennial inflation-based adjustment of fees) PCT search and examination fees are reduced by EUR100 The discount on examination fees for applications… Read more »

The UK has now deposited its instrument of ratification of the Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPCA) with the European Commission in Brussels, thereby completing the legal necessities for the UK to take part in the Court. The UK became a signatory to the UPCA in February 2013 and, in November 2016, committed to… Read more »

Each year on the 26th April, we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day, to remind ourselves how intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) encourage innovation and creativity. This year’s World Intellectual Property Day campaign celebrates the brilliance, ingenuity, curiosity and courage of the women who are driving change in our world and shaping our… Read more »

In March 2018 the General Court held that the Registered Community Design No 257001-0001 owned by Crocs, Inc was invalid as it was lacking in novelty on the basis of prior disclosures of its design. A proprietor of a Registered Community Design (RCD) right has a 25 year monopoly on its design which gives them… Read more »

We are pleased to learn that the Trademark Clearing House (TMCH) has launched a new Trade Mark Registry Exchange (TREx) service which is designed to help trade mark owners protect their brands on the Internet. Many trade mark owners will already be aware that you can register your trade marks in the TMCH. When a… Read more »

The UK is to leave the EU (“Brexit”) in March 2019, but a transitional (“implementation”) period is expected to apply until at least 31 December 2020, in which existing IP rights obtained under EU law and therefore affected by Brexit will continue to have effect in the UK. When Brexit becomes fully effective, EU unitary… Read more »

The UK government has announced it has joined the Hague Agreement for the international registration of industrial designs. The system will come into effect from 13 June 2018 and will give applicants the option of filing an international design which designates the UK individually (rather than coverage through designation of the EU). What are International… Read more »

From Corporate to Classroom  – the AAT outreach programme In 2015 Vince Bixby, Senior Business Systems Support at A.A. Thornton & Co, after striking up conversation with a friend who worked in the Art Department at Southend High School for Boys, realised that A.A. Thornton could give back to the community. The art department, which included digital… Read more »

On 08 February 2018, Her Majesty the Queen and her Privy Councillors signed off the Unified Patent Court (Immunities and Privileges) Order. This means that the UK is now in a position to ratify the Unitary Patent Court Agreement (UPCA. However, UK constitutional practice first requires the UK Intellectual Property Office to provide to the… Read more »

President of the European Patent Office, Benoît Battistelli, recently reiterated in a meeting with delegates from the UK’s Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) that “Brexit will have no impact on UK membership of the EPO” Battistelli went on to confirm that because the EPO is an independent international organisation (of which the UK is… Read more »