The transitional period for the Unified Patent Court (UPC) was initiated on 1 June 2023, the same date as the entry into force of the UPC Agreement.

The UK IPO plans to appeal the High Court's ruling on AI patentability, which had prompted a temporary suspension of its guidelines. This decision adds uncertainty to the patenting landscape for software-based inventions in the UK.

The EPO's guidelines clarify patentability for machine learning (ML) and AI inventions. ML algorithms are considered mathematical methods, typically not patentable unless tied to a specific technical effect. Context, such as application within hardware or specific data, enhances patent eligibility.

On 27 April 2023 the European Commission published proposals concerning supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) for medicinal products and plant protection products.

As part of efforts to improve sustainability in the supply chain, smart packaging is a hot topic in a number of consumer industries, but no more so than in the food and beverage space.

Microbes are ubiquitous here on Earth and can survive a range of environmental conditions encompassing broad ranges of temperature, pH, salinity, energy, and nutrient levels.

Benchmarking is common in retail but can blur into infringement when products mimic established brands. The Thatchers v. Aldi case illustrates the challenges of proving trademark infringement with lookalike packaging, underscoring the need for comprehensive IP protection.

A geographical indication (GI) is a type of intellectual property right used to protect qualities or characteristics of products that denote a specific geographical origin.

ICANN's expansion of gTLDs has simplified domain registration but increased challenges for brand owners, including higher costs, potential consumer confusion, and the need for enhanced domain monitoring.

Recent case law from the Unified Patent Court has created uncertainty about when European patent applications can be drawn into UPC jurisdiction, potentially blocking opt-out opportunities for patent owners who wish to avoid the system. The Paris Central Division's decision in Omnia v Sidel suggests that applications approaching grant may already fall under UPC jurisdiction, even before formal grant is published.

The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) has been grappling with the question of when videoconference oral proceedings can be used before the Boards of Appeal.

A recent decision of the Court of Appeal of the UPC has held that the UPC must interpret its own substantive and procedural law in line with EU law, but that the UPC cannot request the CJEU...

The EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has released details of its approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and its current use of AI tools in the trade mark lifecycle.

Use and acceptance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has expanded rapidly in recent years. It can be found everywhere: in healthcare, education, the workplace…

The European Patent Office Board of Appeal has issued a decision in T 1043/24 addressing whether description amendments are required to ensure consistency with amended claims...

J 1/24 gave limited hope that filing a divisional application after grant of the parent application might be possible. A recent decision in Board of Appeal case T 700/25 has cast some shade...

Turkish company Gürok Turizm ve Madencilik AŞ ("Gürok") has held figurative mark no.011224821 in classes 8, 11, 19, 21, 35, 37 and 39 since 2013.

G 1/24 sets out that the description and drawings must be consulted when interpreting claims in all cases, even if there is no ambiguity in the claims. But what does "consult" mean?

Claims can contain alternatives, e.g. “…wherein the communication link is a wired link or a wireless link…”. T 1186/24, a recent decision from the European Patent Office’s Boards of Appeal, reminds us that the requirements of the European Patent Convention must be met by all alternatives within a claim.