The team at Mathys & Squire wish you a happy festive season and prosperous 2019.
We ran a competition with the children from the Grange Primary School in London to design the firm’s Christmas card and Sharmya’s snowman design won!
On Wednesday 12th December, Mathys & Squire’s London office played host to a satellite seminar with One Nucleus, focusing on: Data Science in Meeting the AMR Challenge.
With talks from Public Health England, Oppilotech, the AMR Centre and Sensyne Health to name a few, the morning was an insightful exploration into the developments in, and increasing convergence between, the life sciences and data/software communities.
It is increasingly acknowledged and arguably undeniable that AI, machine learning and “big data” can have transformative impacts on medicinal chemistry approaches, diagnostics and surveillance. And, with these novel methods of remedying problems and improving solutions, comes the creation of new and exciting inventions and intellectual property!
If you missed the seminar and would like to know more about identifying and protecting your inventions, please look out for us at this year’s Genesis 2018 conference or contact Life Sciences Partner, Craig Titmus, or IT & E Partner Sean Leach via: [email protected] and [email protected]
Mathys & Squire are delighted to be part of London IP Week!
From the 10th to 12th December, the city of London will host a three day interactive intellectual property summit consisting of thought-provoking discussions, exploring the most contemporary trends and latest thinking in the world of IP alongside a series of networking events.
Our team from our sister firm, Coller IP will be taking to the stage on day two to discuss the importance of creating, embedding and harnessing the power of an IP culture within an organisation.
For more information about London IP Week and to book tickets, please go to London IP Week – December 2018.
Social media has fundamentally changed the way individuals, businesses and corporations communicate with one another. As a marketing tool, social media can be highly effective for businesses that want to share information, engage with their target audience and build their brand.
Whether it’s blogs, forums, or well-known social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube; social media is a way of life for many people and because of this, it looks like it’s here to stay.
Most of us who have used social media in either a professional or personal context will know that the main focus of these platforms is user-generated content. This has resulted in countless online communities of like-minded individuals who willingly share their information and ideas. Inherently, this is not a bad thing; in fact, it’s a great way to connect people and businesses who might otherwise be restricted by distance and/or time. However, the practice of using social media in this way often collides with the fundamentals of intellectual property rights, creating a host of challenges and issues.
One of the key challenges that social media presents is the risk of intellectual property infringement. It is therefore essential that businesses keep a close check of their own intellectual property and put measures in place to ensure that it is fully protected from unauthorised usage.
This unauthorised usage can materialise in many forms, one of which is the use of established brand names in usernames or hashtags. Brand value and positive brand association take businesses many years of hard work and resource to establish. However, in the digital age of social media, all this can become tainted within a few moments if the brand or business is referenced in a negative, factually incorrect or unauthorised manner online. This can potentially result in irrevocable damage to the corresponding business and brand.
Copyright law is also something that has become threatened by social media. With platforms such as Instagram basing their entire premise on publicly sharing photos, it comes as a given that using these platforms involves accepting that your content may be shared with people worldwide. This has resulted in many copyright violations and legal battles that involve the unsolicited use of individuals’ photos.
In this sense, for many creative individuals and businesses, there is a difficult path to tread; how to get exposure on social media platforms whilst also enjoying the exclusivity and associated revenue arising from copyright protection. Seemingly, sharing content online greatly increases the risk of copyright infringement. However, a properly maintained IP strategy that incorporates the risks of social media can be a powerful tool in stopping users who violate copyright laws.
At Mathys & Squire, we believe in effective systems that protect intellectual property so that innovators can be properly rewarded.
Get in touch with us today for more information and to discover how we can help your business to devise an effective IP strategy that combats the risks of social media.
We are delighted to feature in this year’s rankings for the World Trade Mark Review 1000.
The WTR 1000 is the “definitive ‘go-to’ resource for those seeking legal trademark expertise” and covers the international and commercial practice of trademark law.
Our inclusion in the rankings highlights our commitment to providing pioneering and commercially focussed legal guidance for all of our clients and we are enormously proud of this achievement.
Individual partners have also been included in the rankings: Partner Gary Johnston in the prosecution and strategy category, and Partner Margaret Arnott in both the enforcement and litigation category and the prosecution and strategy category.
Our team of trade mark attorneys work with clients across the world, consistently advising on trade mark protection, management, enforcement and anti-counterfeiting issues. To read more about the rankings, please click here or click to meet the trade mark team and discuss protecting your brand.
Many of us are becoming more and more aware of the increasing need for a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to manufacturing. The use of single-use materials, such as plastics, has gained widespread media attention this year. One company that is seeking to address these issues is Chip[s] Board®.
Chip[s] Board was developed by co-founders Rowan Minkley and Robert Nicoll in response to the environmental impacts of readily disposable materials. Working across a range of design and fabrication projects, the founders were both overwhelmed by the lack of value materials were given and sheer disposability they held after such short lifespans.
Inspired to find a new solution they sought to develop a new material that, if treated in the same disposable manner, wouldn’t have the enormous environmental impact currently generated by material disposal. Their solution is to use potato waste to create a new material that can be used in a variety of applications – from building materials to the fashion industry.
Having previously worked with the Central Research Laboratory, a hardware accelerator based in west London (with whom Mathys & Squire work closely with to provide IP support and advice), the team at Chip[s] Board have gone on to win three awards in three consecutive nights. Their most recent accolade awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering Launchpad Final and was presented by HRH The Princess Royal. The Launchpad competition is an initiative set up to encourage young younger generations to start and grow their own engineering businesses. Not only is this recognition in and of itself valuable, but the team also win a cash prize and membership of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub.
Rowan Minkley, CEO of Chip[s] Board commented, “winning the LaunchPad award and receiving such a respected accolade from the Royal Academy of Engineers has given us the necessary backing to take this company from lab scale prototypes to a globally produced material. It’s amazing to see how many people are ready to support material innovations to bring circular economy to the industry”.
Dr Andrew White, patent attorney and Managing Associate at Mathys & Squire added that, “it’s fantastic to see Chip[s] Board winning so many awards and for gaining recognition for their unique and environmentally-friendly product. My colleague Matt Morton and I have worked with the team for a few months now helping them to develop an IP portfolio. They are a real pleasure to work with and it’s fantastic to see their continued growth and expansion. We look forward to continuing our work with Chip[s] Board and helping them on their journey to success”.
To discuss protecting the IP in your technology – whether it relates to a new material or manufacturing process, or otherwise – please get in touch via our Contact Us page or email one of our attorneys.
The food and drink industry is jam-packed full of ideas, innovation, research, development and most importantly – intellectual property. Ahead of attending Food Matters Live and sponsoring Food Tech Matters this year, individuals from our food and beverage team have drafted a four-part miniseries which explores IP in the food industry, the types of protection available, and benefits to your business.
1. The missing ingredient: why the food industry needs to protect its intellectual property
Beyond trade marks, protectable intellectual property is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when one has developed a new food or beverage product. Why is this the case, especially when so many other industries have readily adopted and employed IP protection to their commercial advantage?
Author: David Hobson | [email protected]
2. Ripe for the taking: why brand protection is key in the food industry
The food and drink sector was arguably the first sector to recognise the importance of brand protection: the very first UK trade mark application was filed in relation to beers – the Bass triangle back in 18766. Since then, this competitive and innovative industry appears to have really grasped the importance of packaging, get-up and branding. Building a successful and recognised brand can be challenging and many companies often invest heavily in the initial brand creation, development and promotion before realising that legally they cannot use that branding without facing court action. How can companies avoid this?
Author: Laura West | [email protected]
3. Food for thought: how patents can help businesses within the food and drink industry
The search for a competitive edge in this industry has led companies to invest heavily in research and innovation in order to produce the requisite taste, mouthfeel, appearance and nutritional value to attract potential customers whilst simultaneously reducing production costs. There is also the added pressure to keep abreast of (or stimulate) the latest consumer trends, such as the rise in vegetarianism, veganism, interesting new alcohol-free drinks, healthier versions of comfort food, the use of AI within the food industry, as well as meeting the requirements of new governmental policies.
Producing food and drink products which meet of all these requirements can provide companies with a competitive advantage however the question remains: how can this advantage be maintained and how do companies prevent competitors reaping the rewards from their research and investment?
Author: Laura Clews | [email protected]
4. Ensuring you don’t bite off more than you can chew: navigating third-party intellectual property rights
Protecting intellectual property by way of patents and registered design rights is currently under-exploited in the food industry. However, there are certainly a few businesses building broad IP portfolios encompassing numerous aspects of their operations, such as the food products and recipes themselves, factory machinery, and even food packaging. Other articles have explored the benefits of protecting your IP – but what about the IP of others? How can you minimise the risk of a competitor preventing you bringing your product to market?
Authors: David Hobson & Lionel Newton | [email protected] & [email protected]
From chemistry, composition and ingredients to trade marks, packaging, patents and designs – we have the expertise to help identify, protect and commercialise your IP. Call 0207 830 0000 to talk to a member of the team. To read more about our work in the food and beverage sector, please click here.
During recent years, we have become much more aware of the destructive impact that our industrial activity has at a global scale. From microplastics and chemicals polluting our oceans to the amount of CO2 we release into the atmosphere, our efforts to support the needs of an ever-growing population are rapidly changing our ecosystem.
The urgent need to change how we make things has perhaps affected the Fashion Industry more than most. As ever-tightening regulation forces brands and manufacturers to change their requirements, there has been an increasing demand for new solutions to change the way that fabrics are made.
One company that is starting to attract serious attention on the global stage is the UK-based company, “Colorifix”.
Colorifix convert agricultural by-products into pigments and dyed fabrics using synthetic biology. Driven to help the textile industry, and at the same time reduce environmental impact, the team at Colorifix have programmed microorganisms to produce and apply pigments to fabrics, but with “No acids. No solvents. No alkalis.”
Their new biologically driven way of dyeing fabric could potentially save billions, if not trillions of litres of water as well as completely removing toxic chemicals from the dyeing process around the world. Innovators such as Colorifix need to navigate a complex value chain and create an effective international strategy to protect their intellectual property and maximize the application of their technology.
Dr Craig Titmus, patent attorney and Partner at Mathys & Squire LLP commented that: “Against a backdrop of highly polluting processes in the textiles industry, Colorifix have developed a truly disruptive technology that has the potential to revolutionise fabric dying practices across the world. I have had the good fortune to work closely with the team at Colorifix, to gain a detailed understanding of their synthetic biology, and to help devise an intercontinental IP filing strategy that is bespoke to their commercial objectives. With a ground-breaking technology and a refined commercialisation strategy, Colorifix are going from strength-to-strength, and it has been a real pleasure to have played a part in their success story”.
Dr Orr Yarkoni, CEO of Colorifix Ltd. commented, “without any shadow of a doubt, we knew we needed good legal advice moving forward. It’s such a big challenge and there’s no way we could have done it ourselves. Engaging Mathys & Squire LLP was definitely the right move. I was really impressed with the level of understanding and care with which our process has been handled, especially given the complexity of integrating biotechnology in an entirely new manufacturing process. Craig Titmus (Partner responsible for our IP portfolio) has been a life saver on more than one occasion and has always been willing to pick up the phone, even whilst on holiday.”
To discuss protecting the IP in your technology – textile or otherwise – please get in touch via our Contact Us page or email one of our attorneys.
Mathys & Squire Of Counsel, Hazel Ford, will once again be joining a panel of patent attorneys in an encore webinar discussing: Antibody Patenting after Amgen v. Sanofi: U.S. and European Perspectives followed by a live question and answer session.
The panel will examine the patentability requirements in the USPTO and EPO for claiming a broad genus of antibodies, recent case law that could impact those claims, and how to best protect antibody inventions in light of the latest developments. Topics of discussion will include:
- How broadly can the applicant claim? How much support is needed on a filing?
- What are the differences between U.S. requirements and EPO requirements?
- What is a sufficient description of a genus? Can functional language be included?
- When can post-filing data be used?
Book your place by clicking here.
Thursday, December 20th 2018
1:00pm-2:30pm EST | 18:00 – 19:30 GMT
The EPO has again topped the rankings of the world’s five largest patent offices by users for the quality of its patents and services in Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine’s 2018 survey.
In contrast, the U.S. patent system has fallen to 12th place in the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global IP Index for 2018, continuing a six-year downward trend in its patent ranking, which the US Chamber has attributed to a patent system that currently creates “considerable uncertainty for innovators”.
Click the image below to read Michael Stott and Sean Leach’s whistle-stop tour of the approaches taken to patent eligible subject-matter requirements at the EPO and USPTO plus considerations, from the European perspective, as to whether there are any signs of increasing convergence in the European and US approaches.
This article was first published in The Patent Lawyer Magazine. To read an online version, please click here,
To discuss eligibility examination in more detail, please contact Michael Stott – [email protected] or Sean Leach – [email protected].
