Patents

G1/19 decision – Patenting Computer Simulation in Europe The much anticipated G1/19 decision has arrived with the EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal confirming that the EPO’s established approach to the assessment of inventive step of computer-implemented inventions is the correct approach for computer-implemented simulation methods. On 10 March 2021, the Enlarged Board issued decision G1/19 and… Read more »

Amgen v Sanofi and Regeneron: Broad antibody patents held invalid for lack of enablement in US Lack of enablement: A conclusion of lack of enablement means that the disclosure provided in the patent specification, at the time the application was filed, would not have taught one skilled in the art how to make and/or use the full… Read more »

We are delighted that Partner Mike Jennings has been appointed by the EPO President to continue his contributions to the SACEPO Working Party on Quality for another 3 years. What is SACEPO? The Standing Advisory Committee before the European Patent Office (SACEPO) was formed in 1978. Its aim was to give “interested circles” a say… Read more »

Partner Dr. Lawrence King reflects on Patenting in the Pandemic and the importance of locking down innovation in troubled times in this article, first published in The Chemical Engineer. The importance of locking down innovation in troubled times TO MOST, A Poor Man’s Tale of a Patent, published in October 1850, remains one of Charles Dickens’ lesser-known… Read more »

Partners Mike Jennings and Alex Bone explore the UKIPO “Green Channel” At AA Thornton, our patent attorneys have a long history of assisting innovators seeking protection for a variety of green technology including solar technology, waste processing and wind turbines.  Some of our clients were kind enough to share their stories with us, and you… Read more »

AA Thornton support Admiral Group in successful sale of the Penguin Portals and Preminen businesses We at AA Thornton are very proud to have supported the superb team at Admiral Group with their IP and trade mark needs over many years and, in particular, to have recently assisted them on the IP side of the… Read more »

Whether and when to change UK patent law to increase protection for AI This article follows the recent article ‘Call for industry views on AI and IP and ViCo‘   Introduction In September 2020, the UKIPO launched a “Call for views on AI and IP” (see https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/artificial-intelligence-and-intellectual-property-call-for-views ), noting the UK government’s desire to understand… Read more »

As the world faces unprecedented challenges caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, we look at the science behind vaccine technology being investigated and how intellectual property (IP) rights may play a part in its protection. This article was first published by BioScience Today and can be found here.   What is a Vaccine? The immune system… Read more »

AA Thornton’s Mike Jennings provides an update on videoconference at the EPO and joins the EPO, UKIPO and USPTO in inviting industry comments on the recent IP office consultations   The era of public consultations In the last 3 years, several intellectual property offices have invited the global IP community to express our views on… Read more »

Access to Intellectual Property (IP) Rights in a Time of Emergency – Patent Pools and Beyond This article was first published in BioScience Today The pharmaceutical and healthcare industry is often accused of misusing IP to extend exclusivity and delay reasonably priced access to life saving technologies. The recent pandemic has focussed attention on the… Read more »