This week on MIP: DABUS appeal, 'secret' commissions

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This week on MIP: DABUS appeal, 'secret' commissions

UK Supreme Court

We provide a rundown of Managing IP’s news and analysis coverage from the week, and review what’s been happening elsewhere in IP

UK Supreme Court wrestles with inventorship at DABUS showdown

UK patent law already allows for artificial intelligence tools to be named as inventors, counsel for computer scientist Stephen Thaler told the Supreme Court yesterday, March 2.

A panel of five judges heard arguments in the final stage of a legal battle over whether two patent filings naming the AI tool DABUS as the inventor should be granted.

Click here to read the full article.

Marks & Clerk fails to dismiss lawsuit over IP referrals

Marks & Clerk lost its attempt to strike out a class-action lawsuit that accused it of taking “secret” commissions for referring its clients to CPA Global for renewals on Friday, February 24.

The England and Wales High Court ruled that Commission Recovery Limited (CRL), an organisation set up by the founder of intellectual property consultancy firm Rouse, could act as a representative claimant for allegedly affected Marks & Clerk clients.

Marks & Clerk denied any wrongdoing.

Click here to read the full article.

Other articles published by Managing IP this week include:

Avanci Aftermarket will succeed but face resistance: sources

UPC battles suspicious minds on judge conflict fears

Counsel urge India IPO to reverse spending drought

Behind the case: How VMware and Dell won unprecedented verdict

Generative AI patent data shows Chinese universities’ dominance

Political turmoil and feet dragging blamed for latest copyright delay

Semiconductor patents rise but enforcement challenges mount

Elsewhere in IP

Patents up, trademarks down

Demand for patents grew in 2022, with filers in China, the US, Japan, South Korea, and Germany leading the way, WIPO announced on Tuesday, February 28. In 2022, filings under the Patent Cooperation Treaty rose by 0.3% compared to 2021, totalling 278,100 – the highest number ever recorded in a single year. However, international trademark filings fell by 6.1%, the largest decline since 2009.

MEPs back craft GI rules

Members of the European Parliament's legal affairs committee (JURI) voted to back an expanded geographical indication (GI) system that includes local crafts such as jewellery, stones, and glass on Tuesday, February 28. Negotiations among EU governments over the final text of a new GI law will begin if the full European Parliament votes in support.

London IP police target streamers

The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), a division of the City of London Police, arrested four people following a crackdown on illegal streaming services, the force announced on Wednesday, March 1. Officers, who searched four premises in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stoke, said the streaming services had more than 500,000 customers.

Quarles expansion

US law firm Quarles & Brady combined with Denver-based Adsero IP on Wednesday, March 1. Adsero, a 29-person full-service IP firm, will operate under the Quarles & Brady name.

Ian Saffer, Adsero’s managing partner, will serve as the managing partner of the Denver office. The combined firm now has approximately 520 lawyers in 12 US offices.

Pinsent Masons adds London life sciences expert

Pinsent Masons recruited life sciences specialist Kristina Cornish to its London office on Tuesday, February 28.

Cornish joins from Kilburn & Strode, where she worked for 26 years.

Head of life sciences and intellectual property at Pinsent Masons, Clare Tunstall, said: “As an internationally recognised market leader, Kristina will bring invaluable experience and additional skills to our European team, enabling us to expand the support we provide to our life sciences clients for whom patents are business critical assets. Her strong US network will open up additional international opportunities.”

That's it for today, see you again next week.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Alabama attorney Miya Aladebumoye has launched a new firm built on ‘big law’ experience and a personal touch approach
A UKIPO campaign aimed at combating fakes in the pre-loved fashion market and registration of the first Portuguese craft and industrial geographical indication were also among the top talking points
Chris Adams, Managing IP’s research lead, joins us to explain what practitioners need to know ahead of our first rankings release of 2026
Another IP litigator joins Winston & Strawn in Dallas as firm seeks to keep pace with ‘rapid’ growth of Texas market
Anthony O'Malley will replace Andrew Blattman at IPH, which owns several large IP firms across Australia, Asia and Canada
Barry Greenbaum, partner at Olshan Frome Wolosky, explains how in-house teams can update their approach to brand development, and where AI can add value
Christine Chiramel, who joins a full-service law firm after 17 years of working at specialist firms, says she’s excited to explore how corporate commercial issues are blurring into IP
Practitioners say increasing the pecuniary jurisdiction of India’s most popular IP litigation forum to around $2 million would spark unpredictability and make it difficult for SMEs to benefit
The Spain-based firm has appointed an industry veteran to lead the group, which it hopes will strengthen its ability to support clients in ‘disruptive technologies’
Shaina Haria, a final-seat trainee at an international law firm’s UK office, shares how she fell in love with IP and why the area of law has changed the way she views the world
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