Knowledge Hub

Gravity Industries Ltd have successfully patented a Jet Suit, but how is this a ‘new’ invention? On 13 March 2019 the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) granted a patent (GB2559971) to a UK company, Gravity Industries Limited, for “A wearable flight system with propulsion assemblies worn on a user’s body”, otherwise known as a jet… Read more »

New Partnership Chair Partner Adrian Bennett was appointed Partnership Chair on 1st April 2019 taking over from partner Ian Gill. Commenting on the appointment of Adrian Bennett to Partnership Chair, Ian Gill said: “The main objective of the Partnership Chair is to provide leadership and support to the management groups to deliver their objectives, and… Read more »

Patent protection of medical devices – time for a rethink? This article was first published by Bio Science Today in March 2019 Introduction The duration of patent protection for medical devices is up to twenty years, as for any other type of device. Pharmaceuticals, on the other hand, may be entitled to an extended duration… Read more »

Reporting on the Wearable Technology Show AA Thornton recently attended the Wearable Technology Show 2019 in London to explore the direction in which innovation is being driven in the wearables market. The event hosted an array of innovative start-ups, many of which were exhibiting ingenious technology derived from truly pioneering ideas. The technology on show… Read more »

Canada to become 104th member of the international trade mark system On 17 June 2019 Canada will become the 104th member of the International trade mark system. As of this date, it will be possible to designate or subsequently designate Canada as part of your International trade mark. The change coincides with the introduction of… Read more »

Eli Lilly v Genentech – Warner-Lambert Supreme Court Plausibility Test Applied Following the highly anticipated Supreme Court decision in Warner-Lambert v Generics in relation to plausibility at the end of last year, the UK High Court has recently applied the new plausibility test for the first time in Eli Lilly v Genentech Inc.1 Eli Lilly… Read more »

Patent attorney Stuart Greenwood reflects on his flexible working experience at AA Thornton Inspired by the recent Flexible Working talk held by IP Inclusive, Stuart Greenwood, a UK and European patent attorney here at AA Thornton, writes about his experiences as a part-time patent attorney and full-time dad, and the support he has received from… Read more »

Brexit update – Article 50 extension request Friday 15 March 2019 We have run out of polite adjectives to describe the continued painful progress of the UK Parliament towards some type of negotiated exit from the EU, but over the past few days the UK Parliament has again rejected the deal proposed by the government,… Read more »

AA Thornton managers and partners discuss unconscious bias As one of the first signatories of the IP Inclusive Charter, it was great to be part of collaborative sessions for AA Thornton partners and managers discussing and raising awareness of our unconscious bias. Together we took part in some thought provoking discussions, facilitated by Catherine Hamilton from… Read more »

UK Statutory Legislation on Brexit and EU Trade Marks It remains unlikely that the UK will leave the EU on 29 March without a deal, but the UK Government continues to prepare the UK’s statute book for exit from the EU, including in the area of intellectual property, with several IP focussed Statutory Instruments being… Read more »