Cosmetics & Personal Care

Good news for UK businesses, the UK Government has agreed a deal to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with a well-negotiated exemption. The CPTPP is a free trade agreement between 11 countries, which reduces trade and investment barriers between members by eliminating tariffs and establishing common rules. The Agreement includes… Read more »

The cosmetics and personal care industry has become increasingly concerned with clean beauty and sustainable beauty over recent years. This has arisen in response to pressure from consumers but also originated from within the companies themselves who, like many companies operating today, wish to have a positive impact on the environment. Innovations in the area… Read more »

Author: Leonita Paulrja   On 14 October 2022, the Administrative Council of the European Patent Office (EPO) voted to remove the ‘ten day rule’ under Rule 126(2) EPC. Under current EPO practice, unless it can be shown to be later, a notification is deemed to be made ten days after the date shown on the communication (even… Read more »

EPO President António Campinos has announced that from 1 January 2023 video conference (VICO) will be the default format of Oral Proceedings before the examining and opposition divisions, the Legal Division and the Receiving Section.   Oral Proceedings “…may be held on the premises of the European Patent Office, either at the request of a… Read more »

In the ever-expanding Marvel Universe, their latest Disney + offering follows the life of Jen Walters, an LA Attorney and newly turned superhero following an accidental blood cross-contamination with her cousin Bruce Banner. Of all the lessons of heroism and sacrifice that can be taken from the superhero world, Episode 5 of She-Hulk; Attorney At… Read more »

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 »

Freedom to Operate – Understanding the risks   There are many factors to be considered for a project developing a new product or process, but Freedom to Operate should not be overlooked. What is Freedom to Operate? Freedom to Operate, or “FTO”, is the ability to carry out commercial plans without infringing third party Intellectual… Read more »

Re-design the system – the UK IPO consults on the future of UK design protection First a quick quiz to see whether you should read this article.   Question 1 Can you explain the differences between registered designs, UK unregistered design rights, Community unregistered design rights, supplementary unregistered design right and artistic copyright? A: Yes… Read more »

Absolutely Not Registrable As a Trade Mark Attorney, one of the questions I am asked on an almost daily basis is whether new marks are registrable. As UK IPO practice is forever evolving, it can be helpful to conduct regular reviews of the kinds of marks being refused by the UK IPO. We take a… Read more »

EPO 2022 fee increases The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced a rise in many of its official fees to take effect from 1st April 2022. The announcement, published with full details of the new fees in the EPO Official Journal in January 2022, follows the Decision of the Administrative Council of 15th December 2021… Read more »