Knowledge Hub

  Diversification of transport technology backed by UK Government funding   In March 2020 the UK Government announced £36.7 million in funding for projects aimed at designing and developing cleaner and greener transport technology. £30 million of the fund will create four new regional centres of excellence based in Newport, Nottingham, Strathclyde and Sunderland with… Read more »

“INNOVATE FOR A GREEN FUTURE” – THREE GREEN TECH COMPANIES SPEAK TO AA THORNTON ABOUT THE ROLE IP HAS PLAYED IN MAKING THEIR BUSINESS A SUCCESS Every 26th April, we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity. WIPO’s 2020 campaign puts… Read more »

Returning to the Fold – the New Direction in Mobile Phone Designs Those of us familiar with mobile phones in the late 1990s and early 2000s will remember the popularity of so-called ‘clamshell’ or ‘flip’ phones – Motorola produced some iconic designs, from the 1996 StarTAC to the bestselling RAZR V3 introduced in 2004, and… Read more »

THREE GREEN TECH COMPANIES SPEAK TO AA THORNTON ABOUT WHY THEY HAVE CHOSEN THE SUSTAINABLE PATH Every 26th April, we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity. WIPO’s 2020 campaign puts innovation at the heart of efforts to create a green future…. Read more »

Innovation vs. Standardisation – Seeing the Light? Manufacturers of mobile phones have faced pressure for some time to standardise the connectors used for charging, in order to increase compatibility between different devices and reduce electronic waste. The European Commission has been pushing companies for a number of years to agree on a single standardised charging… Read more »

Jet Suits – Making Your Commute A Breeze? The history of jet suits was discussed by AAT partner and patent attorney Alex Bone in his article last year. More recently, in August 2019, Frenchman Franky Zapata hit the headlines by becoming the first person to fly across the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard, the… Read more »

Appeals to the Appointed Person in the UK – the unappealing truth This article was first published on the IPKat Blog   The odds are not good.  In the first two months of 2020 there have been 21 published decisions from the Appointed Person in the UK – that compares with just over 40 in… Read more »

Legal update – UK IPO coronavirus response In recognition of the challenges individuals and businesses are facing amidst the coronavirus outbreak, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has made certain temporary adjustments to its practices, to ensure that parties are not adversely affected in their dealings with the Office. It has also had to… Read more »

Playing detective with patent databases It was recently reported in a wide number of news outlets that Apple might be extending its wearables range beyond smart watches, by developing a new product in the form of a smart ring. This is an expanding market which already has several major players including the Oura ring and… Read more »

Artificial Intelligence – Our March 2020 report According to the European Patent Office, for the first time in more than a decade, digital technologies have taken the lead in patent applications filed. Among the top technical fields digital communication (+19.6%) and computer technology (+10.2%) saw the steepest growth. The report, published on the 12th March… Read more »