Knowledge Hub

EPO announce fee increases, effective from 1 April 2020 The EPO recently announced their fees are to increase on the 1 April 2020.  This is in line with their typical practice of increasing fees every two years. The average increase will be 4% for most fees including for the appeal fee for specific entities*, however… Read more »

Patent attorney, and Automotive & Aerospace team member, Marianne Privett reports on the Ford GoElectric event Following the UK Government’s recent announcement that the sale of new diesel and gasoline powered cars could be banned as early as 2032 the Ford Go Electric roadshow was in London in February to promote their electric and hybrid… Read more »

Solicitor Varuni Paranavitane writes for BioScience Today on the subject of Shanks v Unilever – An opening of the claim floodgates? This article was originally written for BioScience today, you can find Varuni’s article below, or read the full magazine here.   BACKGROUND In 2006 Professor Shanks claimed compensation under s40 of the Patents Act on… Read more »

Automotive & Aerospace team member and motorsport enthusiast Alex Bone explains  ‘Dual Axis Steering’ and  and why some consider it to be controversial As if Formula 1 drivers didn’t already have their hands full with a steering wheel covered in buttons and switches, the Mercedes technical team have added a new function for the 2020… Read more »

Partners Ian and Vanessa are ranked in the 2020 edition of the World Trademark Review We are delighted to announce that Senior Partner Ian Gill and Consulting Attorney Vanessa Lawrence, have been, once again, recommended in the 2020 edition of the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, in the “prosecution and… Read more »

Trade Mark attorneys Louise Foster and Sarah Darby report further on the Sky v Skykick case with a closer analysis The CJEU has handed down its answers to the questions referred by the High Court of Justice England and Wales in the Sky v Skykick case (C-371/18).   Brief background to the dispute Sky is… Read more »

Patent Attorney Stuart Greenwood* reports on Nike’s ground-breaking and controversial range of running shoes. *Stuart has run several marathons, and is currently training for his first foray into the world of ultra-marathons. He has a keen interest in the development of Nike’s Vaporfly and Alphafly running shoes as he feels he needs all the help… Read more »

Skykick CJEU judgement brief summary   The CJEU has today answered the questions referred by the High Court of Justice England and Wales in the Sky v Skykick case (C-371/18), which were: 1. Can an EU trade mark or a national trade mark registered in a Member State be declared wholly or partially invalid on… Read more »

AA Thornton’s Mike Jennings has been invited to educate UK patent attorneys on subject matter eligibility for patent protection in Europe and US, via a joint presentation for the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) in Leeds on 13 February with US patent attorney Michael Piper from Conley Rose. They will discuss patenting of computer-implemented… Read more »

An interview with Mike Jennings of AA Thornton – Patenting AI and computer simulation Partner Mike Jennings is a regular speaker on patenting computer-implemented inventions (CIIs).  In this interview, we asked Mike for an update on European patenting of artificial intelligence and computer simulation. AA Thornton has a substantial practice protecting CIIs.  Clients include some… Read more »