Legal Updates

European Developments

• European Patent Office Fee Increases 2010
  
  

  With effect from 1 April 2010 the EPO will continue its trend in raising official fees.More...

• Significant European Patent Office Procedural Changes Coming 2010
  
  

  The European Patent Office Administrative Council has approved widespread changes to the European Patent Convention which will come into effect on 1 April 2010.More...

• OHIM Fee Reductions
  
  OHIM (The Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office of The European Union) has announced that as of 1^st May 2009 it will be reducing official fees by some 40%.More...
  
  
• EPO Fee Changes
  
  The EPO has published a substantive notice concerning fee changes which will come into force on 1 April 2009. These changes relate to the claims fee, excess page fee, and designation fee.More...
  
  
  
• Fee Increases at the EPO
  
  The EPO has begun 2008 by announcing a number of increases to their official fees. Most of the changes come into force in April 2008, but some have been delayed until April 2009.More...
  
  
  
• Reduction in translation costs at the EPO
  
  The EPO has confirmed that the London Agreement will come into force on 1 May 2008. This will result in a significant reduction in the cost of validating a European patent post grant.More...
  
  
  
• Europe accedes to the Hague Agreement
  
  The European Community acceded to the Hague Agreement relating to registered designs on 1st January 2008.More...
  
  
  
• EPC 2000
  
  The EPC 2000 came into force on 13 December 2007.More...
  
  
  
• Other European developments
  
  Malta became an EPC and a PCT contracting state on 1 March 2007
  
  Last year the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia submitted a request for an accession invitation, and the Council granted observer status to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Serbia and Montenegro
  
  Croatia and Norway became EPC states on 1 Jan 2008.
   

UK Developments

• HM Revenue & Customs Changes 
  
  Significant changes to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) procedures regarding counterfeit goods came in to force on 3 July 2009. As a result, counterfeit goods will only be permanently seized if court action is brought within 10 days of detention of the goods. More...
  
   
• Preserving brand value in a downturn - defend against rogue company/domain names
  
  Under new legislation, if a company name is registered that is either the same or sufficiently similar to an existing brand name, the Company Names Adjudicator can force the company to change its name.More...
  
  
  

• The Court of Appeal has just handed down a key decision which will be of particular interest to those wishing to obtain patents for software inventions in the UK. Critically, it is now likely to be easier to obtain patent protection for software in the UK.More... 

   

• Following Kitchen J's decision in Astron Clinica the UK-IPO has altered its practice regarding claims to computer program products. In accordance with a new practice notice, computer program claims will be allowed where the equivalent main method or apparatus claims are allowable
  Click here to view the new UK-IPO Practice Notice
  

International Developments

• Recent changes to Japanese law mean that design protection is now available for 20 years rather than the previous 15.
   
• Yemen has recently acceded to the Paris Convention, allowing applicants to claim priority on filing.