For the second year running, Denmark’s biotechnology sector has been awarded a top three ranking by Scientific American in their annual Worldview Report, which assesses countries worldwide according to their biotechnology innovation potential. This global ranking puts Denmark ahead of all its European contemporaries, who are left wondering what gives Denmark its competitive edge?
Predominantly focussed around the Greater Copenhagen area, Denmark’s life sciences sector employs more than 40,000 people. Many of these highly skilled employees are located in Meidcon Valley, home to almost 400 biotech and medtech companies. Combine this with generous public sector investment of around €5.6 billion as well as a drug trial application process characterised by speedy processing (~6 weeks) and a high approval rate (~95%), and all the factors for success are present .
Central to the strength of all R&D and biotechnology companies is a strong intellectual property portfolio. Not only are Danish biotechnology companies actively innovating, but they are also highly effective at recognising the value of their inventions. The World Economic Forum has ranked Denmark 8th in the world for the number of International Patent Applications (PCT Applications) filed (as a function of population) in its 2015-2016 global competitiveness analysis . Impressively, Denmark boasts 215.4 International Patent Applications filed per million of the population. When compared to the four largest European economies, Denmark’s prolific patent filing puts them ahead of the UK, France, and the Netherlands, second only to Germany, who lead by a slender margin (see Figure 1).
Owing to convergence of all of these factors, it is no surprise that medical products account for Denmark’s largest export category estimated to be worth approximately 17 billion Euros per annum. Denmark’s biotechnology industry thus continues to serve as a role model to other countries operating under the current economic challenges faced by the Eurozone. In the wake of Brexit, the UK would do well to follow Denmark’s lead.
We are delighted to announce that our clients, QUB and Green Lizard, have been nominated for the IChemE Global Awards 2016. The IChemE awards celebrate excellence, innovation and achievement in the chemical, biochemical and process industries.
Our clients are finalists in two categories; the Chemical Engineering Industry Project of the Year Award and the Food and Drink Award. Chris Hamer and Michael Stott have been involved with both projects from the very beginning, and have worked with the team to ensure that their innovative technologies are protected.
The winner will be announced on Thursday 3rd November in Manchester, UK.
Following the UK’s vote to the leave the European Union, Dani Kramer has discussed the potential impact of Brexit in the latest ‘Doing Business with Israel – Legal and Business Guide 2016’.
Dani has considered some of the main implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on various intellectual property rights and systems, and has provided practical guidance on the impact this might have on Israeli businesses seeking to protect their IP in the UK and Europe.
To read more please click on the link below.
http://www.israeldesks.com/doing_business-with_Israel_2016/#11/z
For more information on this topic please contact Dani Kramer who heads up our Israel team.
Mathys & Squire are delighted to have received an award for ‘Continuous Improvement’ from Harley-Davidson.
The award was presented to the trade mark team in appreciation of their support and outstanding accomplishments in 2015.
Margaret Arnott accepted the award at the INTA conference, which took place in Orlando in May.
We are pleased to have joined Westminster Business Council as one of their Corporate Partners.
Westminster Business Council aims to help businesses grow by providing business intelligence and contacts. Being an active part of the start-up and SME community is important to us. Many of our clients do not have in-house IP expertise and we work alongside them to advise on the best course of action, that will make the most commercial sense. Understanding the value of a potential innovation or a brand is as important as understanding the technology or marketing behind it. Clients in this space value our honesty and we are well-known for the robust and practical advice that we give.
For more information about Westminster Business Council please click here.
From the 1st July, the EPO have announced that applicants will receive a full refund of their examination fee for any application they withdraw, or which is refused or deemed withdrawn, before substantive examination has begun.
The refund was previously set at 75%.
For more information please click on the link below.
http://www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2016/20160701.html
On 1 July it was announced that the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation had agreed to reform its Board of Appeal.
The Board of Appeal is the body that takes decisions on appeals against decisions of the European Patent Office concerning European patent applications and European patents. Member states have voted and accepted a comprehensive reform proposal that will allow the Board of Appeal greater independence and improve efficiency.
These reforms include:
- creating a new Boards of Appeal Unit within the EPO, which will be managed by a President of the Boards of Appeal (a new position)
- the President of the BoA will report to the Administrative Council rather than the EPO President
- a newly created subsidiary committee of the Administrative Council, the Boards of Appeal Committee, will create a link between the BoA and the Administrative Council and advise the President of the Boards of Appeal on managerial and organisational issues
- the new Boards of Appeal unit will be based in Munich
- the EPO President will delegate to the President of the Boards of Appeal all managerial powers relating to the Boards of Appeal Unit.
For further information please see click on the link below.
https://www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2016/20160701a.html
We are pleased to have joined the North East Automotive Alliance as one of their corporate partners.
The NEAA are an industry-led cluster group, who aim to support the economic sustainable growth of the sector in the North East of England. They were formed in 2015 and are now one of the fastest growing clusters across Europe.
For more information about the NEAA please click here.
The EPO has introduced a new opposition procedure, intended to simplify proceedings and ensure that decisions are delivered faster.
The EPO expects to cut the overall duration of opposition cases from between 19-27 month to 15 months.
For more information please click on the link below.
http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2016/05/a42.html
We were pleased to co-host an event in June with Shenzhen National Hi-tech Industrial Innovation Centre, who are based in China.
The event was held at the Hilton London Tower Bridge, and looked at innovation in China and the UK.
