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

Nigel Stoate, head of Taylor Wessing's award-winning UK patents team, tells us about his team’s UPC successes and why collaboration is king
Camilla Balleny, who spent a decade at Carpmaels & Ransford, will become the firm’s first head of patent litigation, Managing IP can reveal
Leaders at the newly merged firm Jones Maxwell Smith & Davis reveal their plan to take on bigger firms while attracting more clients and talent
Charles Achkar, who will bring a team of two with him, said he was excited about joining ‘one of the few strong IP boutiques’
Andy Lee, head of IP at Brandsmiths and winner of the Soft IP Practitioner of the Year award, tells us why 2024 was a seminal year and why clients value brave advice
The deal to acquire MIP's parent company is expected to complete by the end of May 2025
Jinwon Chun discusses the need for vigilance, his love for iced coffee, and preparing for INTA
Karl Barnfather’s new patent practice will focus on protecting and enforcing tech innovations in the electronics, AI, and software industries
Partner Ranjini Acharya explains how her Federal Circuit debut resulted in her convincing the court to rule that machine learning technology was not patent-eligible
Paul Hastings and Smart & Biggar also won multiple awards, while Baker McKenzie picked up a significant prize
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